Are you snacking enough? Since many people have been working from home for many months now, or simply spending more time at home than usual, it’s likely that snacking has become a larger part of our daily diet. Is that a good thing?
Maybe and maybe not.
First, snacking isn’t necessarily negative. It can be a great tool in satiating hunger, avoiding the temptation to binge, and supplementing our diet. However, we need to evaluate our snacking habits since it’s much easier now to simply stroll into the kitchen and grab something to eat between meals. Snacking out of boredom or emotion is not ideal, but that’s a topic for another time.
Snacking like a pro involves evaluating our snacking frequency and the type of snacks we choose.
When are you snacking?
What time do you snack the most? Do tend to be a late afternoon snacker? Or are you more of a late night nibbler? Not only is it important to consider what time of the day we tend to snack, but the reasons why we are snacking in the first place.
Why are you snacking?
Is it because we are hungry? That could suggest that perhaps we’re not eating enough at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Or, perhaps, is it that we have a deficiency in our diet that’s leading us to gravitate to snacks in order to supplement for what we lack. If you’re diabetic, there are different snacking challenges, which we discuss here.
Looking at our overall diet is the key here. What nutrients do you think you are missing? How can you get these nutrients or supplement by making it a part of your snack time?
What are you snacking on?
Take a look at your pantry to evaluate your current snack cache. Are you gravitating toward sweet or savory snacks? Are there snacks high in salt, sugar, trans fat, carbohydrates? Not all snacks are created equal. There are better choices for snack such as fruits, lean protein, or any of these low carb snacks at our site.
In addition, you can make some delicious and nutritious low carb snacks in your own kitchen as well. You can easily make these part of your regimen. Since some snacks are more portable and perishable than others, we would suggest a balance between convenience and portability so that you can take them to work or on the road the next time you have a snack attack.
- Almonds and cheddar cheese.
- Half an avocado stuffed with chicken salad.
- Nut butters…peanut, almond, etc.
- Olives
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocados
- Popcorn
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Cheese
- Green bell peppers
- Carrots
- Guacamole with low-carb veggies
- Coconut chips
- Kale chips
- Olives and sliced salami (watch the sodium, though)
Why not plan out your snacks by making a list of the sorts of snacks you want to consume, and then ensure that you are stocking up your pantry with these things instead of snacks that are mainly empty calories or counterproductive too your ideal wait goals.
All of this isn’t to say that you must snack everyday. But, if you do snack, we hope this article encouraged you to snack like a pro by ensuring your snacks fit into your plan for healthy eating.