How to Snack Smarter

Three squares a day? That’s old thinking. What’s new is to stay lean, to conquer cravings, and to get all your daily nutrients to master the mini meal.

You were probably advised not to “ruin” your dinner, or waistline, with between-meal snacks. But holding out for dinner isn’t going to earn you a gold star. Snacking is, in fact, an ingenious move if you nosh knowledgeably. Here, experts explain the benefits of nibbling and share their favorite delicious and yes, healthy snacks.

Why It Makes Sense to Snack

1. It keeps your metabolism humming.

Eating around three meals a day with two or three snacks in between can make your metabolism more efficient, which results to weight maintenance and even, weight loss. Snacking is like a fire that turns your belly on every morning. The point is never to let your energy wane or to go without a bite for so long that you get very hungry.

 2. It helps you eat less at mealtimes.

You’re much better off having two snacks between the hours of two and seven, then having a light dinner. If you wait until you’re so hungry that that you would eat the kitchen table, you’ll wind up eating way more calories when you do finally sit down for dinner. Experts suggest choosing a snack that has roughly 100 to 200 calories that fills you up with a healthy balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. If a snack is high in refined carbs or sugar, your blood sugar will jump, then crash, leaving you feeling tired and even more hungry.

Another way to ensure that a snack tides you over: Make it feel like a small meal, with multiple components such as soup and a bran cracker, low-fat cottage cheese and berries or you could opt for low-fat yogurt. It’s best to buy your yogurt plain and sweeten it yourself, using a little honey, some fruit, fruit preserves, or a dab of apple butter.

3. It ensures you get all your vitamins.

Snacking is a great way to fit in all the nutrients that your body requires each day. As simple as a crunchy apple or a juicy orange can boost your satisfaction for fewer calories while also adding important antioxidants to your diet. For a savory snack, grab some celery sticks and dip them into some hummus, and for a sweet fix, dip fruits into yogurt.

4. It puts you in a good mood.

When blood sugar levels get too low, you can become irritable and have trouble concentrating. So for mood control and cognitive and metabolic efficiency, healthy snacking between meals helps.

 5. It foils even the strongest cravings.

If you had a snack before leaving work, you can definitely hold out for dinner without hitting the drive-through. And there’s a healthy snack to kill every craving. So when cravings attack, have a plan for giving in intelligently. It’s all about knowing the foods that satisfy you so you don’t feel deprived and end up eating more than you need or even want.

Snack on This! Experts Weigh in On…

Protein Bars

A common solution for folks on the go is protein bars. According to experts, it actually depends on the bar. There are a lot of bars designed to be meal replacements, so they’re 300 calories or more. If you eat them as a snack, your calories are more than enough. Instead, look for a bar that has 150 to 200 calories with at least four grams of protein and four or more grams of fiber.

Drinks and Smoothies
Liquids offer a low-calorie way of consuming a lot of volume, and more volume fills you up. Experts suggest a skim decaf latte or a skim cappuccino, a 60- to 100-calorie soup (like tomato) or a homemade smoothie with ice, skim milk or plain yogurt, and a cup of berries. You could also go for a solid snack with some antioxidant-rich green tea.

100-Calorie Snack Packs

Some chip bags have “20 percent more free” labels on them. The food industry found out that people will pay even more to be saved from themselves. In other words, they’re willing to fork over extra money for snacks to keep the calories in check which is why you see 100-calorie bags of everything from crackers to cookies to chocolate. These are controlled portions, true, but good things don’t always come in small packages. You want nutrient-dense calories, plus vitamins and minerals, and the protein and healthy fats that promote satiety. One hundred calories of junk is better than 500 calories of junk, but often those 100 calories lead you to eat more, because you’re not satisfied with them.

Source: realsimple.com