Well, unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to the snacking question. The truth about snacking and how it works for your diet depends on your own lifestyle and nutrition needs.
If you notice that you overeat during meals, or you feel completely ravenous between meals, snacking may be a great option to keep your hunger levels at bay. You are likely starving because your blood sugar levels drop so low that your brain is screaming at your body to replenish it. If this is the case you might benefit from snacking if you do it right.
On the other hand, if you take a look at your snacks, and realize that you always make unhealthy choices between meals, try a week without snacks, and focus on packing in more nutrition into your main meals.
This works for some people, but you have to pay attention to your body to figure out which option is for you. Keep reading to learn more about how snacks can make or break your diet.
Snack Calories Matter
It’s no mystery that eating pretty much anything between meals means that you’ll be taking in more calories throughout the day. This doesn’t automatically mean you should put down that yogurt before lunch. Instead, you have to take a look at your personal eating habits to determine if snacking is for you.
Since calories from snack still count towards your daily caloric intake, it’s important to choose highly-nutritional and low-calorie options.
Fruits can be an excellent snack, so long as you aren’t reaching for the most sugary fruits like bananas, pineapples, and apples. Instead, grab a grapefruit, a handful of berries, or an apricot to hold you over. This way, you will avoid a sugar rush while controlling your appetite until your next meal.
If you’d prefer something savory, go for a high protein snack. A few strips of chicken, a serving of string cheese, or a boiled egg can hold you over for a while with fewer than 100 calories. Snacks high in protein can also make you feel fuller longer than high-carb snacks can. Just watch your portion size and keep the calories between 100-200 calories.
Snacks are Meals Too
One issue with snacks is that we tend to treat them differently than we do the rest of our meals. When it’s time to sit down for a meal, we think about portion sizes and whether we got our veggies and a good source of protein.
Your snacks, although they’re small, should be treated the same way. It’s important that everything you put in your mouth hasa goal to fuel and sustain your body. So choose snacks that help you get in more vegetables and or more protein just like you would when choosing your meals.
Similarly, you should plan out and prepare your snacks the same way you would your meals to keep portions low and nutritional value high.
Research has shown that people who eat small meals during the day are more successful in losing and maintaining weight. This doesn’t work, however, if you’re overeating at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Instead of adding snacks to your regular meals, instead, think of every snack as another meal.
You can have several small meals a day to spread out your calories and control your hunger all day long. To do this, just figure out your daily calorie goals, with a help of a nutritionist, trainer or even an app. If you can have 1400 calories a day, plan to have 4 or 5 meals between 350 and 500 calories.
Then all you need is a meal plan to fill up your plate at each meal. Lean meats like chicken and turkey pack a powerful dose of protein without too many calories. Be careful with your starches and carbs, as these come with more calories per serving.
The key to snacking or not snacking is listening to your body. If you have a very active lifestyle, you might need snacks to help you recover and stay energized throughout the day. Or if you’re always starving, snacks can help to balance your appetite so you don’t make unhealthy choices when you sit down to eat.
If you’re good without the snacks, then just stick to three hearty meals and make sure they give you everything you need to feel you through the day and you’ll be on your way to keeping up with your health goals.
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.