Here are the 5 secrets to “snacking healthy” between training sessions.
When trying to reach your fitness goals, maintaining a healthy diet is essential. Snacking is necessary component of any well-designed diet plan, but not all snacks are equal. Additionally, how you snack is just as important as what you choose for a snack. Here are five tips to help you snack healthy:
1) Plan ahead – stock healthy foods.
Most people can reasonably filter “healthy” snacks from “junk” – choosing fruits and vegetables instead of chips or cookies, or low-fat yogurt instead of ice cream. When we snack, we often reach for whatever is convenient. It’s important to plan ahead and have healthy snacks on hand, curbing the temptation to reach for junk food.
2) Think about how much you’re eating in addition to what you’re eating
It’s vital to control how much you are eating when picking a healthy snack. Eating an apple is a good, healthy choice. Eating three apples and a half pound of grapes in one sitting is a bit overdoing it. Once you have chosen your snack, put it in bowl or on a plate in the appropriate quantity. Eating slowly is often helpful in getting the most enjoyment out of a good snack.
3) Don’t eat just because you’re bored
Generally, we choose to eat because we are hungry. However, many of us also eat because we’re bored, or because we’re stressed or emotional. It’s important to recognize these patterns and find ways to pre-empt unnecessary snacking. If you are bored, find something to do to occupy your time, other than food. Pickup a new hobby, read a book, or even go for a nice walk – anything that keeps your mind or body engaged will help curb boredom-snacking.
4) Don’t skip meals, and have a set time for snacking
Because snacking is primarily driven by hunger, it’s crucial not to skip meals. It’s very easy in today’s world to skip breakfast because you woke up late, or skip lunch to get some errands done at work. Though it sounds counter-intuitive, skipping meals often leads to an increase in the amount of daily food consumed, as meal-skippers overcompensate with larger meals and increased snacking. In fact, the best method to avoid weight gain is to eat several small meals a day. Even if this is not practical for you, eating three healthy meals a day is almost as effective. Within that three meal cycle, slip in a set time for snacking. Most people find the late afternoon hours an ideal time for a snack. It’s several hours after lunch, but still a couple of hours away from dinner. Having a set snack time every day will help will planning out your snacks and healthy snack availability.
5) Don’t snack while doing other activities
Snacking while doing something else, such as watching TV, playing a video game, or even while socializing with friends can easily lead to overeating. When your mind is focused on something else, it’s natural to get distracted and lose track of how much you’re consuming. The easiest solution is to try to enjoy your snack as its own activity, and when you’re with friends, pay a little extra attention to what you are eating and try to stay out of arms reach of all the goodies!