Snack Your Way to a Better Day

I’m a huge fan of snacks. Snacks are good for those trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight, maintain blood sugar, get past an afternoon lull, curb appetite, etc. I find that with most of my clients, many problems can be solved by incorporating healthy snacks into their diet. Several people, including myself if I miss an afternoon snack, eat dinners that are way too large or snack while they are cooking dinner because they are beyond hungry when they get home from a long day. This problem can be solved by regularly including  a nutritious afternoon snack in your day. I’m not talking about a coke and a pack of crackers. Eating a high sugar, high fat, low protein snack is the worst thing you can do to satisfy hunger. You might be satisfied temporarily, but not only are you feeding your body useless nutrition, you are setting yourself up for extreme hunger in a few hours. This is when you end up eating too much for dinner.

It is super important to feed your body every 3-4 hours. This sometimes means eating a morning snack and almost always means eating an afternoon snack. To really enhance metabolism, you should eat 6 small meals/day. Many people find this inconvenient which is understandable. However, is 5-10 minutes a couple times a day to eat a quick snack really unmanageable? Make your health a priority! If you are in a job that compromises your health or does not value your physical well-being, you should work to make it valued. But for most of us it is just lack of awareness. How can you make yourself more mindful? Do you need to set an alarm? Have a smaller breakfast or lunch?

Now, on to the fun part. Snack ideas! I’ve listed some in my other post on snacking (“Rules of Snacking”). Listed below are the components of a healthy snack. Try to find snacks that meet at least 2 of the following criteria:

1. Low-fat dairy. Milk, light yogurt, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, reduced fat (string) cheese

2. Whole grain (has the words “whole grain” listed as 1st or 2nd ingredient and dietary fiber >3 grams/serving): bread, granola, cereal, granola bar, crackers

3. Lean protein: fish, tuna, chicken, turkey, egg whites, peanut butter, nuts, soy (edamame)

4. Fruits/Vegetables: fresh, whole or dry fruit; carrot sticks, celery, etc.

Components to AVOID:

1. Added sugar: soda, candy, sweets, juice, desserts, gummy snacks, fruit on the bottom yogurt

2. High (saturated) fat: cake, cookies, pre-packaged crackers

3. Full-fat dairy: whipped yogurt, regular yogurt, whole milk, regular cheese, cream cheese

Are you getting good snacks? Are you getting a snack at all? I can think of several different ways to combine some of the snacks above to incorporate multiple components of a healthy snack (i.e. fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait). Even if you do not have access to a refrigerator, you can still manage to get good snacks throughout the day.

More good on-the-go snacks:

1. Instead of eating the pre-packaged peanut butter crackers that are high in saturated and possibly trans-fats, make your own! Get a serving of wheat thins (~16 crackers) and make 8 peanut butter cracker sandwiches using natural peanut butter.

2. Make your own trail mix or buy one already made. A handful of trail mix goes a long way and gives you a serving a fruit and good oils from nuts.

3. Cottage cheese (or string cheese if you are on-the-go) and fruit. Low-fat dairy and a serving a fruit make for a long-lasting, satisfying snack.

4. Edamame. Buy it frozen and stick it in the microwave before you leave the house if needed. Add a little salt and enjoy hours later. Stick it in a ziploc bag for a great on-the-go, all-in-one snack with carbs, protein, fiber, and unsaturated fats.

5. Kashi TLC granola bars or Nature Valley crunchy granola bars with peanut butter spread on top and sandwiched together for on-the-go.

6. Ants on a Log (celery, natural peanut butter, and raisins). The raisins add the sweetness, so there is no need to buy regular peanut butter with added sugar.

That was 6 snacks that you could have on-the-go. Get started snacking your way to a better day!

Rules of Snacking

I was just sitting there thinking, “I’m hungry… I wish I had a snack.” Dinner will be late tonight and I did not prepare well for the 7 hour stretch between lunch and dinner. Actually, I ended up getting a snack, but it would bring shame to my name if I mentioned what it was. That’s what happens when you don’t prepare. You end up eating whatever is around. Today, that was not the best option. So as I sit here smacking my hand for putting myself in this position, I should also take advantage of this opportunity and share with YOU the positive potential of snacking, if done right.

First, let’s discuss the rules of snacking.

1. You should never go longer than 3-4 hours without eating. That means, at some point during the day, you should have a snack. Maybe you eat 5-6 “snack-sized” meals per day. That is perfectly fine and potentially beneficial to anyone that is trying to boost their metabolism (hint hint, that is most of you). But even if you like to eat 3 square meals a day, you most likely need a snack at some point. If you do not get hungry between meals then you are probably eating too much at one sitting. You want to spread these calories out throughout the day so that your digestive system is not overwhelmed 3 times (or maybe less) per day, but rather fed a steady and manageable rate of nutrients. So look at your eating schedule and ask yourself, “am I eating at least every 3-4 hours?”. Disclaimer: this only applies to the hours that you are awake, unless you’re just crazy…

2. Aim to eat snacks that provide carbohydrates AND protein. Carbohydrates give you fast energy, but taken alone, that energy will not last long. Unless the snack contains a significant amount of fiber (> 3 grams), it will be gone in about 30 minutes to an hour, leaving you feeling just as hungry as before you snacked. Avoid the temptation of sugary snacks (i.e. soda, cookies, candy, even some crackers and granola bars) and aim for a snack that contains whole grains or fiber (granola bar or cereal with > 3 grams of fiber, whole grain breads, fruit with skin). To make your snack last even longer, add a little protein. You can do this without adding too many calories, but even if you do spike the calories a little, you will probably be less likely to overeat at your next meal. Good sources of protein include low-fat dairy products (milk, yogurt, string cheese), nuts and seeds (plain nuts or peanut butter, sunflower or pumpkin seeds), and some granola bars containing nuts or seeds. Adding protein to your snack will slow the rate of digestion and prevent your blood sugar from quickly rising and dropping out of the normal range.

Lets get started with some great snack ideas…

1. Apple (carb) + Light string cheese (protein)= 160 calories (25 g carbs, 7 g protein, 2.5 g fat)

2. Kashi TLC chewy granola bar (carb & protein) + baby carrots= 170 calories (25 g carbs, 7 g protein, 5 g fat)

3. 8 oz skim milk (carb & protein) + banana (carb) = 195 calories (39 g carbs, 9 g protein, 0 g fat)

4. Banana (carb) + 1 Tbsp peanut butter (protein)= 200 calories (30 g carbs, 5 g protein, 8 g fat)

5. Smoothie (containing 1 cup skim or light soy milk, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp peanut butter, frozen fruit)= 265 calories (38 g carbs,   12 g protein, 8 g fat)

6. 1/2 cup trail mix (containing nuts & dried fruit)= 280 calories (36 g carb, 4 g protein, 12 g fat)

7. 6 oz light yogurt  (carb & protein) + 1/2 cup low-fat granola (carb)= 300 calories (59 g carbs, 10 g protein, 3 g fat)

This is a start. As you can see, the snacks increase in calories from the beginning of the list to the end. I’m sure that you are probably asking “how do I know which snacks I can have?”. Since I am not speaking to one individual, but to all readers, I cannot easily answer that question. But even if I were talking to one person, the answer could change based on your activity level and the amount of calories you have consumed that day. The best advice I can give to those of you that are trying to maintain or lose weight is to start out with one of the lower calorie snacks. If you find that this is not sufficient to carry you through until your  next meal or you are ravenous by that time, you may need to eat a larger snack. The goal of snacking is to keep your blood sugar, metabolism, and hunger level from reaching any extreme levels. You don’t want to feel hungry or stuffed before or after snacking, just satisfied. For those of you trying to gain weight (lean body mass), you should increase the size and frequency of your snacks. If you eat one snack now, try eating two. If you eat a banana and peanut butter as a snack, add a glass of milk. Putting on weight as a goal is not an excuse to eat calorie-dense foods, but rather a reason to eat extra calories from nutritious foods.

Happy snacking!