Fitness and Health - One Day at a Time

Healthy Snacking Strategies and Tips

Do you eat healthy all day but at night can’t stop snacking?

If late night eating is preventing you from reaching your weight-loss goals then it is time to break the cycle by adopting some smart strategies. According to the National Institute of Health, it is not what time of day you eat it is what and how much you eat and how active you are during the day.

Snacking Strategies

One of the best strategies is to eat only the necessary calories throughout the day but to eat them often. Snacks should be eaten between breakfast and lunch and also between lunch and dinner. Snacks are a great time to get in those 5 fruits and vegetables we need each day. Steer clear of salty snacks as they can increase your cravings of carbohydrates. Remember that snacking is a way to stay satisfied the whole day. Do not eat more than your body needs and try not to let your stomach become too full or too empty throughout the day.

Are You Really Hungry?

Make a deal with yourself. Tonight, before reaching for a snack after dinner, take a deep breath and stop. Are you really hungry, or are you doing this out of habit, are you bored, anxious, or "craving" something in particular? If you are eating dinner early and going to bed more than three hours after dinner, you may be hungry. If so, go ahead and have that snack.

But first, here are some things to remember.

1) Eliminate problem foods. You know what these are (crackers, chips, chocolate, ice cream). Get them out of the house completely and replace them with healthy snacking options.

2) Portion out snacks. Portion control is the secret of weight maintenance. All foods can fit into a healthy diet, but only in the portion size that makes sense for your goals. For example, one ounce of pretzels has about 120 calories: the same amount of potato chips has over 200 calories. If you’re sitting in front of the TV and eating unconsciously you are adding at least 200-400 calories to your daily intake. This can add up to 30 pounds of fat each year!

3) Plan Ahead: If you know that you are going to be snacking after dinner why not have specific snacks made ahead of time. This way you are not standing in front of the fridge or cupboard for such a long time that you finally give in and just grab the whole container of ice cream. Planning ahead will include the last bullet point of portioning out the snack as well. For example if you have a sweet tooth, fill four or five 6oz parfait cups with fat-free sugar-free chocolate pudding topped with lite whip cream (you can even add no sugar added cherry pie filling for layers). Do this at the beginning of the week and you are saving yourself time and the added stress of indecision. Not to mention a great way to reward yourself at the end of the day!

4) Include the right combinations in your snacking options: Quite simply, what you do is choose a portion of protein and carbohydrate and this will not only calm your cravings but it also helps feed your muscles.

5) Allow some indulgences: Let’s face it, from time to time, we all have overwhelming cravings and it’s ok to satisfy them. A strategy to doing this without gaining extra pounds is to plan a “free day”. This way if you love pancakes with eggs and bacon, or pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni you can allow yourself to eat these foods without the guilt. Just try to get the leftovers out of the house when free day is over! There are two physiological benefits to purposely eating extra once a week: it increases fat burning by boosting metabolism and it helps you gain control over your cravings.

posted by Oshburg @ Friday, March 03, 2006