Why I hate snacks

Snacks. They kinda suck.

When I first realized I was Ohio fat (more on what this is another time!), I embarked on the typical diet advice of eating 5-6 mini-meals a day.  What this really is for most people is 3 meals and 2 snacks.  I was constantly trying to figure out what were good snacks.  I tried carrots and grapes, protein bars, string cheese, nuts, beef jerky etc.  Nothing I ate lasted longer than an hour to an hour and a half, so I felt like I was constantly eating.  And I was!  I was constantly worried about food.  When was my next meal?  Did I have a snack on me?  If I didn’t, could I get a healthy snack where I was?  I was food obsessed!  Not only was it annoying to be around, I felt like it kept me in this scarcity mindset where food was this thing I needed to constantly worry about.  

The best thing I ever did for myself is getting rid of the snacks!  Instead of eating a couple snacks every day, I now eat 4 meals a day.  Not only am I more satisfied, the quality of the food I eat is much better.  One of the biggest problems with snacks is that folks seem to think you should eat a different type of food than what you would normally eat for a meal.  We have somehow convinced ourselves that the 100 calorie snack pack from Nabisco and some Babybel cheese is better than piece of chicken with veggies.  Because chicken and veggies are meals and chips are snacks.  Ya dig?!  So what’s a girl to do?  Try some of these options and see what works for you.  Everyone will be different.

1. Eat 2 breakfasts!  I typically eat around 5:30am and 10am

2. If you suffer from a 3pm slump, get a slightly larger lunch than normal and box half of it up.  Eat a portion at noon and eat the other portion around 3-4pm.

3. If you actually don’t need a whole meal, bring a ½ portion of last nights dinner to work with you and eat it when you’re hungry.

4. Try soup in place of your snack food.  It’s filling and it’s easy to find one with lots of veggies and protein.

5. If eating something small is all you really need to make it to your next meal, then keep it balanced with protein, carbs, and fats.  A good example might be: 6oz plain greek yogurt with half a cup of berries and a sprinkle of nuts, hummus with veggies, or lentils tossed with tomatoes, onion, carrots and avocado.  Add a little olive oil and your favorite herbs and acid (vinegar or citrus), and voila, it’s balanced and can be eaten in the amount you need at that moment.

Remember, snack food is for suckers!  :-D