6 Easy Ways to Healthy Snacking for Weight Loss
6 Easy Ways to Healthy Snacking for Weight Loss
Is there such a thing as healthy snacking? Most often than not, snacking gets a bad rap and for good reason. The first thing that typically comes to mind when it comes to snack is cookies, popcorn, binge eating, chips, Netflix, candy bars, mindless eating, and more junk food. If you are working on losing weight, it can seem like a challenge having to align snacking with your eating plan and making it healthy. But when you are able to do it right, you will discover that healthy snacking actually helps with weight loss as it wards off your usual cravings and lessens your tendency to overeat at mealtimes or at dinner. Research has it that those who consume healthy snacks are more likely to benefit from a highly nutritious diet that is composed of fruits and whole grains. Consequently, you just need to adapt healthy habits where you can enjoy nibbles in-between meals that are also attuned to your weight loss plans. Here are 6 ways to snack the right way:
- Stay focused on nutrition
Just because you are snacking does not mean that you can veer away from your health regimen. You have to be consistent and consume nutritious snacks as well that fit right into your weight loss plan. Do not think about snacks as a treat or as a reason to binge and have cheat days. Sarah Greenfield, R.D. emphasizes that the purpose for having snack refreshments is to provide the body with added nutrition. It is in this way that they are actually an essential part of your weight loss plan and not just any activity that you can take for granted. When preparing for your snacks, think healthy fat, fiber, and protein as these are what you will need to keep your hunger at bay and your blood sugar balanced. Remember that your snacks should also contribute to your health and should thus be healthy choices.
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- Snack twice daily
Beachbody’s Paige Benté, MS, RD, CSSD is all for snacks saying that they are certainly a part of Beachbody’s nutrition plans. As such, there is no need to swear them off altogether and instead choose snacks that are in line with your healthy eating goals. It is recommended that you have 2 snacks daily in between 3 meals. In this way, you won’t get too hungry before meals and become more energized throughout the day. The key is to go for snack that are so rich in nutrients they will keep you satiated up until your next meal. You can opt for some home-made energy balls a tablespoon full of peanut butter and some apple slices or two tablespoons of hummus and carrot sticks.
- Plan in advance
When you are craving for a snack, your instinct would be to reach for the nearest cookie jar or to open a bag of chips. While it seems harmless as an isolated incident, it becomes a different story when this is what you do daily. Because of this, it is imperative that you plan your week ahead of time and include both your meals and snacks for the day. You do not want to end up getting tempted to eat anything that’s in front of you without proper planning as you’ll be more likely to end up with highly processed and prepackaged foods. With Beachbody’s Ultimate Portion Fix for instance, you can benefit from a meal and snack plan that is nutritious. This particular nutrition program will help you make sure that you are getting all of your containers in every day. You will be inclined to prepare in advance so that your healthy snacks are ready and fitted well into your containers. Never underestimate the advantages that advanced planning can bring into your healthy snacking routine.
- Snack more mindfully
Enjoying some hard-boiled eggs or almonds sound like an ideal way to snack while fending off hunger and adding some protein into your usual diet. But what if your day isn’t going as planned and you are feeling less virtuous – wanting that pint of chocolate marble ice cream sitting on the freezer? Mindful eating allows you to be more aware of the whys to your snacking habits. Ask yourself why you are craving for a snack and check if it is just because you are bored or stressed but not really hungry. Mindless eating is not going to nourish your body as you would have wanted it. It satisfies a different need that unhealthy eating should not be answering. Other times, you may be snacking out of habit and you just have to have cake when you have your afternoon organic coffee. Make a conscious effort to snack mindfully and do not just give in to your mindless snack habits.
- Adapt the right timing
There is a right time to snack and it’s not just any time because it requires you to listen to your body. You have to listen closely when your body tells you of its need to be nourished and then act to satisfy it. When you wait until you are too hungry, then the tendency is that you will snack on whatever it is that is currently convenient to you. Your judgment as to which is most healthy will be clouded by your need to satisfy your hungry right away so as soon as you feel hungry, reach for the healthiest snack and wait no further. Once you are eating though, then you can slow down. It usually takes some time for the body to send fullness signals so snack slowly to avoid overeating. The trick is to choose snacks that take work before you can eat them including the apples and oranges that you need to peel or eat around the core. Licensed dietitian/nutritionist and chiropractic physician Scott Schreiber, D.C., L.D.N., C.N.S., explains that consuming snacks like these will allow your satiety to catch up and signal the end of your snacking session right on time.
- Clear all the junk
When all else fails, including your willpower, not having any junk food in sight is going to save you from gorging on an unhealthy snack. Do not test your determination and set yourself up for failure by keeping junk food in stock. If you know of a certain snack that you almost always have a hard time to resist, then avoid it from all cost and do not keep them in sight, in the house, in the office, and all other places that you frequent. Do yourself a favor and clear the fridge or the pantry of snacks that you know are never going to contribute to your healthiness. While you still can, resist picking them up at a grocery store or pastry shop and do not bring them home. When your surroundings are free from junk, then you are bound to snack healthy.
Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, Liift 4, 21 Day FIX®, Body Beast, Insanity, The WORK, Barre Blend, TurboFire, PiYo, P90X®, 21 Day Fix Extreme, T25 and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today! Take a FREE test drive for 14 days!
