Author of Be Ready for Anything and Build a Better Pantry on a Budget online course
Here are the small habits we’re incorporating into our daily lives.
- We’re drinking water before we drink other beverages.
- We’re adding a serving of fruit or veggies before each meal.
- We’re adding more movement to our day.
- We are performing 5 minutes of gentle stretches before we get out of bed in the morning.
- We are focusing on some rest or relaxation time on a daily basis.
Today’s Challenge
Today we’re going to add another healthy habit that may replace a less healthy habit you already have. Let’s discuss the anatomy of a perfect snack.
Obviously this is going to differ depending upon your goals. Here is a general guideline – feel free to substitute similar foods you like better.
If you just have the munchies:
Try a piece of fruit for your snack. I tend to get the munchies mid-afternoon but I’m not always actually hungry when this happens. I use it as an opportunity to add some nutrients and eat an apple or an orange.
If you are hungry but trying to lose weight:
This kind of snack requires some form of protein. You could add natural peanut butter to the apple or to some celery, or you could grab some veggie sticks and hummus. You’re still getting that nutrient boost from the veggies or fruit, and the protein from the PB or the hummus.
If you are trying to maintain or gain weight, or you have a very physical job.
You can go harder on the protein in this situation. A protein shake might be ideal (and even more nutritious if you add a handful of frozen fruit.) You can also have some leftover meat like ham or roasted chicken, along with some vegetables.
By replacing the afternoon candy bar or bag of chips with healthier options, you’re making that coffee break a nutritional boost instead of a wasteland of sugar and chemical additives.
What are your favorite healthy snacks?
What do you normally eat for a snack? What will you replace it with? What are your favorite healthy snacks? Share your ideas in the comments below.
Avoiding snacking altogether is the best strategy. Hungry? Drink water, then occupy yourself with something useful. Three meals a day or less, no snacking. The high frequency of eating is one of the causes of our poor metabolic health epidemic.
My favorites are apples and sometimes, peanut butter. They really satisfy.
I also think crunching/chewing on the apples is satisfying.
I’ love radish as snack. Crunchy as apple, but no sugar