Snacking Advice For Women
I will be honest with you I used to love snacking - my energy was so erratic that I needed regular snacks to get me through the day.
My day was basically, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, snack, dinner, snack!
And if I had to miss a snack …. My mood was dreadful!
When I started studying nutrition (over 14 years ago – eeek!!) I was taught that everyone should be eating ‘little and often’ and regular snacks were recommended.
My opinion has changed dramatically since then as I have read so many studies and seen first-hand how snacking, like most areas of nutrition, needs to be personalised. Eating every two to three hours is not necessarily the best choice for everyone.
The food marketers will have you believe that you simply can’t sustain yourself without eating in between meals! They have built a whole industry around snacking – cereal bars, chocolate (that won’t spoil your appetite!!), biscuits, crisps, yoghurts, plastic cheese, energy drinks etc.
I am not saying that all snacking is a bad idea – but WHAT and WHEN you eat is important.
A few things to think about if you are struggling with a snack attack:
IS IT A HABIT?
If you always have a biscuit with your coffee or a piece of chocolate after dinner it can be difficult to break the routine.
TEMPTATION
If there are delicious offerings everywhere you look it is difficult to constantly make the decision not to eat.
ENERGY BOOST
An afternoon energy slump can lead to the consumption of a calorific or caffeine rich snack just to give us a lift.
ARE YOU BORED
Sometimes we graze on snacks just because we have nothing better to do!
HYDRATED
The brain can tell us we need to eat but often a glass of water will do the trick just as well!
SOCIALISING
Having a cup of tea with the family is lovely but if that is happening every day and involves a piece of cake it is not a good habit – see point 1 !!
STRESS
When life is stressful we tend to be drawn to snack on foods that are higher in calories – things like biscuits, crisps, cake chocolate etc.
What might help
3 MEALS A DAY
Including regular balanced meals every day will keep you satiated and less likely to look for snacks.
ARE YOU HUNGRY?
If you are persistently getting hunger pangs or energy slumps in between meals perhaps you need to look at your meal composition and portion size. Let me know if you need help with this.
SNACK SMART
If you need a snack choose something that includes protein – this will keep you full and provide nutrients.
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