Small Steps to Health

Snacking Strategically and Adding Protein

February 4th, 2008 by asithi · No Comments

The Super Bowl party turned out really good. I was worried that no one would eat my fruit and veggie trays yesterday, but we finished up the entire fruit tray and most of the veggies tray. I was the only one who brought in anything healthy to the party so I am glad that I did.

How do you eat less overall throughout the day? By snacking strategically. It sounds like a lot of effort, but health is worth it. Besides once I got into the habit, I find buying a bunch of bananas and a can of almonds not too time consuming. I tend to be boring when I shop for groceries, buying mostly the same thing each week. You can snack strategically by:

Checking your hunger level every 3-4 hours after breakfast and lunch.
I have this habit of eating snacks based on the clock instead of the cues from my body. Every day at 9:30am and 3pm, I snack. The problem is that sometimes I really do not need a snack, but I automatically eat it anyway. When you eat on autopilot it can only result in trouble for your waistline. I really need to ask myself if I am hungry or am I eating for the clock each time I reach for a snack. Whether you need a snack depends on what you ate previously. When I eat lunch with enough protein in it, I do not need a snack at 3pm.

Including protein in each snack to avoid snacking again between meals.
Since deciding that I want to loose weight, I have been snacking on fruits. Like most people, I think eating a piece of fruit is the right thing to eat between meals. However, I notice that when I eat my apple or banana, I am hungry again within an hour.

When I eat cottage cheese or peanuts, I notice that I can stop my stomach from growling again until it is time for a meal. What is the difference? It is the protein! I find that if I eat 3-4 peanuts or almonds with my piece of fruit during snack time, I do not get hungry again within an hour like I used to. I feel so stupid for not making that connection sooner since I talked about protein in relation with strength training previously.

Until next time and thanks for stopping by.

Tagged Healthy Eating

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