Snacking, Good or Bad?

I seem to hear that questions all the time.  Should I or shouldn't I snack between meals.  The answer is snacking is great if you do it correctly!  It depends on what you are eating and when you are eating it.  Like I've mentioned before you want to eat every 3 to 4 hours, so it is likely that you will need 1 - 2 snacks a day depending on the times you eat your meals.  In my day, I eat 2 snacks.  One between breakfast and lunch and another between lunch and dinner.  I want to eat these snacks to keep my metabolism working all day long instead of allowing my body to go into starvation mode and hold onto my fat as fuel.

It may be hard to get out of that mindset of "Don't eat between meals," but do believe me that it's important to keep your body burning calories all day long.  Deciding the right things to eat for those snacks is the important part. 

You don't want to fill up on carbohydrates for these snacks.  They won't keep you full until your next meal.  They may even make you feel more hungry because they spike your insulin and keep you craving more of the same.  Instead of choosing your typical snacks of granola bars, crackers, chips, or even 100 calorie packs you should choose foods that are high in protein and fat.  These two nutrients keep you feeling full until your meal 3 - 4 hours later.  Eating between 150 - 200 calories is the perfect size snack.  Some of my favorites are almonds, cheese, a hard boiled egg, or apple with peanut or almond butter, or plain Greek yogurt with some fresh fruit and a pack of Truvia sweetner.  Eating a planned snack will also help you from binging on a treat in the work room or over eating at lunch because you are so hungry.

If you aren't used to eating snacks, I challenge you to give it a try and see how much better you feel!