I encourage you to eat snacks in between all of your meals. That means you eat every 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your snacks. YES, IT IS OK to snack during the day; just pick the right foods.
What does a snack look like in the North American diet?
A snack usually consists of processed carbs and sugar without many fruits, vegetables, quality protein, or good fats. Some eat bars, sugary cereals, chocolate, muffins, or other processed food items easily bought when we pick up our afternoon coffee or tea. The coffee itself can also be a snack – think of a double caramel latte with bazillions of calories.
Why do we eat snacks in between meals?
Blood sugar levels drop during the day. Eating more frequently prevents large fluctuations in this and keeps you more alert but less full.
Your meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be just big enough that you are looking forward to your snacks. A LARGE meal will leave you stuffed = more than 80% full and most likely not wanting to have a snack.
Here are some snack ideas for you:
- 1-2 Scoops of your favorite protein powder in milk, coconut water, Almond milk, or just plain water
- ¼ cup of unsalted mixed Nuts (or any nuts you like)
- 1 handful of Carrots
- Super Shakes
- Small bag of pre-cut Vegetables
- Homemade bars (you know what you are putting into it, we love the Feed Zone book for that)
- Eat leftovers as a smaller snack
- Make mini quiches
- Mix yogurt and berries
- Eat nuts, seeds (mix them in a small bag) plus an Avocado
- Cottage cheese and fresh fruit
- Hummus and Celery
Here is your snack lesson
- Looking at snacks in a good vs. bad way is overly simplistic and will lead to making poor food choices.
- Rather eat MOST, yep, that is, most of the time natural, least processed, and healthy foods (hint: see list above)
Would you like to get more information on meal ideas and your nutrition habits?
Don’t hesitate to contact me, I can help you solve your snack dilemma.