Don’t confuse snacking with grazing. Grazing is mindless eating all day, totally unaware of food intake. Snacking is a set snack. Morning snack, mid day snack etc. I’m not about calories but when it comes to snacking calories add up fast. Nutritious snacks are just as important as healthy meals. So make them count. Here’s some hints:
SALT CRAVING: Usually means body is deficient in nutrients and minerals. Mineral rich sea salt does a better job curbing the salt appetite than a bag of chips, which will leave you feeling bloated, tired, thirsty and wanting more. Try Seaweed like nori strips. The seasoned ones are yummy and have that salty crunch.
MORE VEGGIES: Vegetables—carrot sticks, cucumber chips, red pepper slices and fruit are low in calories and super nutrient dense. They also fill you up faster and longer because they contain so much fiber. Snack on whole food!
SMALL MEALS: Don’t gorge on a big breakfast, lunch or dinner and think you won’t eat again. That is unhealthy and not true. Small meals are better on digestion. Let the body be nourished and the stomach empty. Really it is OK to feel hungry. If you are finding yourself hungry often, add more protein—hemp and chia—to your breakfast. It will keep hunger at bay all day. Now, when you are hungry, eat.
EMOTIONAL EATING: You know this already. Eat for physical nourishment not out of bordem, stress, emotion, etc. Instead do something that will make you feel better whatever your woes are—Movement, Exercise, Vacation planning are a couple of my favourites.
PLAN AHEAD: 5 minutes in your kitchen preparing a healthy snack or meal far outweighs the 20 plus minutes it takes to order and buy a snack. Seriously, you think you don’t have time, but then you wait in line at Starbucks for that nutrient void, calorie dense muffin that will have you crashing in no time.
READ LABELS: First three ingredients matter most as they are the most abundant. Avoid any product that lists sugar as early ingredients. Question ingredients you can not pronounce or don’t know what they are. “All natural” means nothing. It has no definition and any product can be claimed as all natural.
LIQUIDS COUNT: A latte is more of a snack than just beverage. Soda has 300 empty calories. Stick with water. In fact, drink as much water as possible. Flavour it up with lemon, parsley, cucumber, cayenne, ginger, mint, lemongrass. Get creative.
HINTS:
- Treat/snack: You can not eat a treat twice a day as a snack and expect to loose weight or maintain current weight.
- Prepackaged granola bars are loaded w sugar. These bars are pretty tasty and super easy to make.
- Skinny up your nut butters; 3/4 cup of almond milk w 3/4 cup of your favourite nut butter, add cinnamon and 1tbs maple syrup. Blend. Use this for dips, snacks and in smoothies.
SWEET SNACKS
- Perfect Protein Smoothie, or any smoothie on nourished.ca
- Banana-hemp sushi could be my all time fav snack—Protein-and-nutrient dense. And the kids love to sprinkle the hemp on themselves.
- Green Smoothie
- Dates stuffed with almond/nut/seed butter sprinkled with cinnamon
- Banana and nut butter on 100% sprouted whole grain wrap
- Sliced apple and honey with cinnamon
- LARA Bars
- Nuts, dried fruit (make sure no added sugar)
SALTY SNACKS
- Edamame
- 100% corn chips and guacamole and salsa
- Brown rice cake topped with salsa
- Hummus, black bean dip, white bean dip and Veggie sticks
- Kale Chips
- Air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top