Snacking is often where people trip up when trying to make better food choices and control their nutrition intake.
Working from home or even spending more time at home often leads to excess snacking. Whether you’re hungry or you’re bored – snacking can cause problems.
There’s nothing wrong with having a snack at all – the problem is that most of the time we crave certain kinds of snacks that may not be that good for us.
Now the easiest (not simplest) way to avoid snacking on unhealthy foods is to not have them in the house. Ordering in snacks or leaving the house to get a snack usually becomes too much of an effort so if you don’t have the bad stuff in the house, you’re less likely to eat it.
One of the main problems is the way we look at snacks. We often see them as needing to be in a packet, single item or something we can grab without much effort.
What if we snacked on the same food we would eat in a normal meal – just smaller portions? Eating natural unprocessed foods will always be the winning formula for good nutrition habits. It’s hard to overeat on these kinds of foods because they contain nutrients that actually fill you up.
Try these ideas for snack inspiration:
1. Boiled eggs – have them pre-boiled in the fridge
2. Burger patty with avocado – pre-cook a batch of quality patties, heat them and spread avocado on top for a quick, protein & fat rich nutritious snack.
3. Hummus with veggie sticks – pre-cut all you veg and have a few dips
4. Apple with some nuts – pairing your fruits with a protein source balances your blood sugar
5. Cold cut meats – be careful here as deli meats are often low quality so make sure to source nitrate-free with no additives.
These are just some suggestions. There is really no limit to what you could snack on. The key is to eat real food and to be prepared. Most bad choices come from a lack of preparedness.
Snack boxes, cooking extra food, and limiting the “bad” food in the cupboards will all help you to make better choices.
Finally, most cravings are emotional, and going for a walk or doing 20 push-ups will often cure the craving as much as the snack will.
Unlock better nutrition by planning your snacks!