One of the easiest and most effective ways to boost your nutrition plan is smart snacking, so here are some tips to improve your daily routine!
We all know how building up healthy diets includes increasing the amount of leafy greens and fruits we eat, while also reducing the amount of saturated fat and added sugar we consume—but what about snacks?
Snacks sometimes get a bad rep when it comes to healthy nutrition plans, but the truth is that they’re not always bad for you when your snacking is done right. Our nutrition experts are here to help you better understand just how important snacks are when you need a boost of energy before or after your workouts through the below list of smart snacking tips that’ll point your daily routine in the right direction.
It’s important to remember that not all snacks are created equally, and healthy snacks are a great way to add more fiber and protein into your diet. Although there’s no magic snacking formula that works for everyone, here are six smart snacking tips to help you make healthier food choices!
1. Reassessing Your Current Snacking Behavior
There’s a huge difference between snacking to satiate real hunger and snacking to cope with stress or boredom.
Recent nutrition studies have shown how emotional eaters are more likely to eat high-fat and high-sugar snacks, so the first thing you should do when incorporating smart snacking into your diet is try to understand why you’re snacking in the first place.
If you eat snacks on a daily basis, you should ask yourself if you’re snacking because you’re hungry—or if you’re tired, stressed, or simply feeling emotional in one way or another. If you’re recognizing that your snacking is often connected to an emotion, there are some mindfulness strategies that you can keep in mind to combat harmful snacking habits.
For instance, you could eat modest snack portions or savor each bite by chewing slowly. Slow snacking is known to help people more easily recognize when they’re satisfied, so be sure to remember these easy tips the next time you’re feeling like having a snack!
2. Improving Your Eating Habits
If you’re finding yourself snacking in between meals because you’re feeling famished, then it’s likely that you’re not eating good enough meals. It’s important for fitness enthusiasts to remember how certain foods will help you feel fuller for much longer, and that many of these food options are lower in calories and higher in nutrients.
These options, commonly referred to as diet-boosting foods, typically take longer for people to digest. This results in people feeling fuller for longer periods throughout the course of a day, and some popular diet-boosting food options include:
- Whole grains
- Beans
- Non-fat dairy products
- Tree, garden and farm-grown foods
On the other side of the spectrum, there are also diet-busting foods. These foods include fried foods, fatty meats, canned soups and creamy sauces. These options are stacked with calories and low in overall nutrition, and they’ll often leave you feeling hungrier due to being deficient in protein and fiber.
This is why fitness enthusiasts generally need to prioritize colorful snack plates that are rich in vegetables, fruits and protein!
3. Choosing Nutrient-Rich Snack Alternatives
As is easy to imagine, nutrient-rich snacks that are lower in calories are much better options in comparison to snacks that offer poor nutritional value. America’s Official Dietary Guidelines have always recommended snacks like fresh fruits, raw veggies, whole grains, plain yogurt, peas, and other nutrient-dense foods. These guidelines have also consistently recommended that people limit or altogether avoid snacks that are high in sugar, saturated fats and sodium.
If you need more ideas for your daily routine, try swapping out unhealthy snacks for all sorts of healthier options. Popcorn is a popular snack example that a lot of people love, but it’s no secret how store-bought popcorn packages are often full of salt, oil, butter, and all sorts of artificial flavors. What you could do instead of buying pre-made popcorn packages is make your own popcorn batches on your stove, which is commonly referred to as air-popped popcorn.
And in general, you should try to avoid microwavable popcorn because it’s widely known for being unhealthy!
4. Avoiding Vending Machine Snacks
The vast majority of vending machine snacks are salty and sweet, and they’re by and large not good for you. Although just one bag of cookies or potato chips might not completely break your diet, these unhealthy snacks can undoubtedly impact your overall health when you eat them on a regular basis.
Potato chips are a common example of an unhealthy snack that actually makes you feel hungrier, and this is because chips are very high in sodium. Most baked products found in vending machines contain high levels of saturated fats, which are known for being a key contributor to heart disease and other health issues.
This is why you’ll always be better off planning ahead by bringing your own daily snacks when you head out to the office or go to school.
5. Fruit Bowls Replacing Candy Dishes
One of the easiest ways to foster smart snacking habits is to choose wisely while shopping at your local grocery store. This means avoiding chips, cake, candy, cookies and ice cream as much as possible, because when it comes down to it, you simply won’t be tempted to eat these products if they’re not in your house.
What you should purchase instead of ice cream could be nonfat yogurt. Instead of potato chips, consider unsalted nuts. And instead of soda, consider drinking sparking water.
There are all sorts of healthy alternatives when you’re hoping to reduce the amount of not-so-healthy snacks that you eat on a daily basis. And if you’re going to keep unhealthy snacks in your house like cookies and ice cream for whatever reasons, try to keep them in tough-to-see areas while keeping your healthier options out in the open and easy to find.
6. Making Your Own Smart Snacks
A lot of people view snacks as a necessary evil to get them through each day, but the truth is that snacks don’t always have to be boringly convenient! Snacks can also be delicious and healthy, but this might require a little more creativity, planning, and overall effort on your part.
There are all sorts of healthy snack recipes on the internet that might pique your interest, and just remember that fruits and veggies are about as quick and easy as any other food in the world. Pretzels, nonfat yogurt and hummus can pair well with whole-wheat crackers in a way that’ll fill you up for hours when you’re getting through afternoon cravings.
And don’t be afraid to experiment while you’re planning your smart snacks ahead of time. Snacking can actually be a fun part of your diet, and you’ll feel relieved knowing that your snacks are fresh and free of harmful preservatives.
Reach Out To Our Nutrition Coaches To Learn More Smart Snacking Tips!
Smart snacking options are truly endless, and there’s something to satiate your cravings no matter what you’re feeling throughout the course of each day.
When you follow the guidance of our nutrition coaches, you’ll combine your workout routine with a diet that fully supports your long-term fitness goals.
And here at The Rising Legends Academy of Fitness in Nyack NY, we understand just how far healthy diets and smart snacking can go toward improving each client’s overall health and physical results—and we’re here to guide you through every step of your new nutrition plan.
We look forward to seeing you at the gym!