Snacking Tips

Yes, snacking is healthy and a great way to support your metabolism, control hunger and keep yur blood sugar under control. But when it comes to your wellness goals, is your "snacking" preventing you from reaching them?

Too many extra calories at your snacks may be the reason. Even if you’re eating perfectly healthy meals and getting exercise in regularly, if your snacking is out of control then your results will be disappointing.

Here are some tips to be sure you're on the right track:

1. Calories Count. Even when you’re snacking on “healthy” food, you’ve got to keep track of how many calories that you’re taking in. Almonds are healthy, but if you consume 800 extra calories in them you’ll quickly gain weight.

2. Fill Up on Protein & Fat. A lot of well-meaning people are still afraid of fat. They think that if their snack is high in fat then it will end up on their body as fat. This is simply not true. Healthy fat, such as avocado or almonds, is a wonderful thing to snack on as it fills you up and keeps you full longer. Again, just be aware of your portions. 1/2 an avocado or 1 oz. of nuts is a portion. Combine these with a piece of fruit and you've got a quality, healthy snack!

3. Avoid Sugar Calories. Added sugar is an awful thing to snack on when weight loss is your goal. Refined sugar is a catalyst for fat storage, so avoid any snack that contains added sugar. We are not referring to fruit here, which contains naturally occurring sugar. Consuming fruit is a good thing. Just be sure to combine your fruit with something with protein and/or fat such as 6 oz. Greek yogurt or 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter. Remember that eating sugar will satiate your hunger or craving for a very short period of time, and then you’ll quickly be hungry again. This is because sugar spikes your blood sugar, which immediately comes crashing back down due to the lack of fiber, protein and/or fat in your snack.

4. Don’t Be Fooled By 100-Calorie Packs. A popular marketing technique is to package junk food into 100-calorie packs. These could be crackers, cookies, chips. In other words, these are typically the type of snack food you wouldn't allow yourself to consume when trying to eat healthy, but because it is "only 100 calories", you go for it. Sorry to say, however, even though it's only 100 calories, it's still an unhealthy choice. You are better off avoiding the junk completely and eating something that will stick with you, such as a hard boiled egg and 1/2 cup of blueberries.

5. Use The ‘Is It Real’ Test. As a rule of thumb, you should use the “Is it real?” test when deciding if a snack is worth eating. Here's how the test works: If your snack can go bad, then it’s good for you. If your snack can’t go bad, then most often times than not, it's bad for you. The idea is to eat fresh, real foods that are unprocessed and wholesome. These real foods are naturally filled with fiber, vitamins, and minerals and will assist you in achieving your fitness goals.

6. Avoid Refined Carbohydrates. Processed and refined carbohydrates make up the bulk of popular snack foods. Take a look around the snack aisle at the grocery store and you will see that most packaged snacks are made with grains. When your goal is to lose weight and increase lean muscle then eating refined grains will work against you. If you only take one tip away from this article, let it be to remove refined, processed, grain-based snacks from your day-to-day intake, such as crackers, chips, sugar-filled granola bars, etc. This single change could very well recharge your weight loss.

Following these tips, you'll be well on your way to achieving your health and wellness goals. You can do it.