Life under COVID-19 stay-at-home order has caused tons of us to increase our snacking. Eating can be a form of comfort and, sometimes, just entertainment. Whatever the reason you’re snacking more, it is probably time to get it under control. These 6 snacking tips should help you in the age of the Coronavirus and beyond.
If you want to snack less, start by eating enough to keep you full. Fats and carbs not only fuel your body, they help keep you full. The three main types of carbs are sugars, starches, and fiber. Stay away from the sugar and eat more fiber.
Be intentional about what you are eating. It will help you to recognize when you’re full, whether you’re eating a meal or a snack. Mindless eating happens without noticing. It’s not just the calories you need to pay attention to, what you’re eating is important too. If your snacks are highly processed and full of sugar, fat and salt, you may be increasing your cravings.
Instead of having only 2-3 meals, have schedule multiple meals. Basically, make part of your meal your snack. This works when you have smaller meals during the day. You can’t have 4-5 large meals each day and think that it is better than small snacks in between meals.
The multiple small meals will help you control your blood sugar and avoid big peaks and lows. These changes may not come easy. It takes practice to change your habit. Even paying attention to your mindless snacking requires adjustment.
Creating a plan for meals and snacks can help you make the transformation to better eating. Honoring your plan is a really important step. You need to make sure to give yourself decent portions and tasty options. Creating a plan that leaves you hungry will lead you back to snacking to fight off the hunger. Daily planning will becomes routine sooner than you can imagine. You do need to stick with it through the days when you simply want to eat whatever you want, whenever you want. There will be a moment when you give into that feeling. Know you can recover. You might start by washing it down with water.
You heard it before. Drink water. Sometimes, when you want a snack, you’re really thirty. Drink water and wait 15 minutes. You may be able to pass on the snack. If you have a snack, drink water.
Studies have also shown that drinking water before a meal can help digestion and aid weight loss. At a minimum, drinking water can help avoid drinks with a high calorie content. Whether snacking or not drinking more water is good for you. Staying hydrated promotes better health and cleans your body inside and out. It can help to flush that snack out of your system.
If you have to snack, make it healthy. Swapping candy with fruit will give you some sweetness and some good fiber. Healthy fats like nuts are avocados are good options.
Snacks can be a healthy part of your weight-loss plan. You need to choose healthy, whole-food options with a lot of protein and nutrients. Some snacks can help keep you full throughout the day and limit your cravings for unhealthy foods.
To find out if you’re really hungry, take a beat and ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” It may sounds simple and maybe even a bit silly, but taking the time to determine if you’re truly hungry gives you the chance to decide if you want to eat and how much.
It may be difficult to tell the difference between a physical craving and an emotional longing for food if you’re not paying close attention. Emotional cravings are often triggered by needs other than true hunger, like stress, boredom, or loneliness. Television commercials, seeing and smelling food are some possible triggers for snacking. Becoming more mindful about what you’re eating and why and put you on the path of making better and healthier food choices.
Stay-at-home orders are going to end. When we have the freedom to step outside and back into the world, we need to make new habits to keep us safe and healthy. Healthy snacking needs to be on our list.
