Healthy snack strategies

Snacking can help with feeling nutritional gaps, keep you good mood and help control your appetite and weight. When snacking, we are safe from energy lacking that happens when we consume large meals. There’s opinion that spreading calories during the day require less insulin that can prevent you from diabetes risk.

Most of the classic snack foods are not healthy – they contain a lot of calories and don’t provide much nutrition. Candies, cookies, chips from vending machines, high calorie beverages – all those calories are being added to what we eat at dinner and lunch.

Not even traditional snacks make contributions to our healthy nutrition, but eating them is often a mindless act – we eat snacks because they are tasty and easily accessible. That means we consume additional calories without even noticing it.

It is important to save calories for snacks from your meals. If your normal calorie consumption is 1800 calories daily, you may divide it into 500 calories for breakfast and dinner and have two 150-calorie snacks.

We tend to overestimate how many calories we may need in snacks. That’s why calorie control is a key to avoiding weight gaining. Say, 400 calories – the amount in an average single-served frozen meal – can be found in a cola or a candy bar.

Sensible Snacking

Now food manufacturers tend to suffice people’s desire for healthy snacks and pack store cases, supermarkets and airports with precut fruits and veggies, nuts and low calorie snacks in tiny, convenient packages. So low calorie snacks are available now for you to eat throughout the day.

The time of snack is also important as the longer is interval before meals, the more likely you may become overly hungry. And if you are hungry, you will probably overeat and lose healthful track of your diet. So it is recommended to eat snacks before you feel hunger.

Finally, snacking should fit the same formula as dieting – all things in moderation. Sometimes we can afford giving way to temptations and cravings. For this case it is recommended to save about 10 % of daily calories for the snacks we really want. We just have to eat right foods and eat various foods the right way, that’s called healthy eating.

If you are lacking energy…

Solution: You can try a cup of tea or coffee and add a bit of sugar and low fat milk to it. This will boost your alertness but add only 50 calories. Also stick to the snacks with complex carbs and lean protein, as carbs really increase your energy levels while protein increases brain’s dopamine levels, therefore positively affecting your alertness. Your choice can include a bit of dried fruits and nuts, crackers made of whole grain with a cheese, or yogurt.

If your next meals is hours away, but you want to eat now…

If you need to wait several hours until your next meals, the best choice is eating a combination of fiber and protein. The study at Wayne State University (Detroit), showed that when evening snackers began to eat cereals wit milk after dinner, their daily calorie intake reduced and they lost more weight in comparison to those who ate everything they wanted. Cereal’s fiber and protein will make you feel full and prevent from hunger. Another good choice to prevent hunger is slice of bread spread with a low fat peanut butter or carrot sticks with hummus.

If you need to eat something before or after workout…

Solution: Before workout you best snack will be complex carbohydrates – fruits or whole-grain cereal, because they give you energy needed for the exercises. After workout, eat protein, such as low fat yogurt or cereals. Protein can also contribute to muscle growth after the workout. Just don’t forget to include fruits to all your snacks.

If you feel urge to eat something in stressful situation…

Solution: University of California (San-Francisco) conducted research with interesting conclusions – meals with sugar and fat calm body’s hormonal response to stress. But don’t rush to a vending machine in this case, try taking several deep breaths or drink a cup of tea or any hot beverage. Distract yourself from the craving. If it doesn’t help you, probably you are really hungry. Small snack can help you – tiny peace of chocolate with a glass of skim milk will do well.

What is your style of snacking?

Your craving for some snack can involve desire for a particular taste (sweet or salty) or a harkening for a texture (say, something creamy). That doesn’t mean that your body really in need of that taste or texture. It is purely psychological desire. There is no deficit in sugar or salt, but we still crave these things.

Strategy: Determine what taste or sensory desire you really want before you reach for a snack.

If you crave something sweet

Try: Raisins, dried cherries, or fresh apple slices dipped in melted dark chocolate chips

If you crave something salty

Try: Almonds, whole-grain crackers, brown rice cakes, or a small can of vegetable juice

If you crave something crunchy

Try: A handful of high-fiber cereal, a spoonful of peanut butter on celery or apple slices, pickles, or microwave popcorn

If you crave something creamy

Try: Low-fat pudding, whipped yogurt, or flavored oatmeal

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