Snacking Smart
Snacking Smart
Were you ever told that you couldn’t or shouldn’t have a snack because it will “spoil your appetite”? Unfortunately, many people still have the mindset that we shouldn’t snack. I often tell people to include one or two snacks during their day. The “problem” isn’t that we snack, but what we choose to have as a snack.
Going too long without eating
Going too long without eating can contribute to episodes of low blood sugar, even in healthy people. Eating every four hours helps keep blood sugar more stable. Let’s go more than four-five hours without eating (while awake).
We can experience low blood sugar can present as tiredness or weakness, shaking, headache, hunger, general discomfort, irritability, and unclear thinking.
Some key symptoms: hunger, irritability, and fuzzy thinking can lead us to make potentially unhealthy choices when we find food.
Most people will buy candy bars or chips instead of apples and walnuts. Additionally, waiting until we are hungry can lead to overeating even healthy food choices.
When to snack
You may not need a morning snack if you go from breakfast to planned lunch within 4-5 hours. For example, you will most likely be fine if you eat breakfast at 7:00 am and have lunch by noon. But, if you eat breakfast earlier, such as 6:00 am, or lunch later, such as 1:00 pm, think about incorporating a mid-morning snack at around 9:30 am. The time on the clock isn’t as important as the hours in-between eating episodes. If you have more than five hours between your planned meals, have a snack halfway between those eating times.
Most people could benefit from an afternoon snack. For example, if you have lunch at noon and dinner at 6:00 or later, you need to consider having the afternoon snack around 2:30 – 3:00 pm. Even if we don’t feel hungry then, most of us will benefit from having something in the mid-late afternoon. If we try to hold out until we get home for dinner, then we tend to have two dinners: the food we consume as soon as we walk into the house to “hold us over” until dinner, then our actual dinner.
Benefits of snacking
Having healthy snack one or two times a day can help you eat fewer calories. So, yes, even though you eat more often, you are less likely to overeat at mealtimes. But, again, waiting until you are irritably hungry isn’t self-control but setting yourself up for overeating once you get food.
Snacking also allows you to get some foods that dietitians always tell you that you need more: fruits and vegetables. It can also help you get more calcium and protein when you pair it up with the right foods.
What to snack on
While you now know the benefits of snacking, possibly the most important thing now is your snack choices. Planning and bypassing the vending machine is a good start.
If you can plan, then choose one of these combinations for the desk, afternoon shuttling children, or after school with the kids:
- Greek yogurt with fruit: 6 ounces of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt plus sliced strawberries or blueberries (or whatever is your favorite fruit)
- Fruit and peanut butter: sliced apple or a banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter
- Celery slices with a tablespoon of cream cheese or peanut butter and raisins
- Whole wheat pita wedges with 1-2 tablespoons of hummus
- Trail mix: nuts and dried fruit. It is okay if it also has chocolate in it.
- String cheese and fruit or six whole-grain crackers
- Mixed nuts or peanuts – 1 ounce or ¼ cup
If you must choose the vending machine or convenience store:
- Granola bar or cereal bar
- Trail mix
- Peanuts or other nuts
- Peanut butter and crackers
My favorite afternoon snack:
- 1 apple sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or walnut halves
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
Combine the apples, walnuts, and cinnamon in a zip-top bag or reusable plastic container. Shake. Eat with your fingers or a fork. Doing this in the morning or the night before, the juice from the apple combines well with the cinnamon. Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 9 g fat (<1 g saturated), 35 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 3 g protein.
