Donegal Nutritionist Sorcha McElchar from Sorchas Healthy Living shares her advice on how to snack the smart way.
Snacking. We all do it at some point whether it’s to get us to our next meal, to satisfy a craving or to watch a movie. There are many occasions for snacking but is it good or bad for us?
You often hear people who are on diets or trying to lose weight say they are “cutting out all the snacking”. However, snacking isn’t all bad if you snack smart and don’t snack mindlessly.
Obviously if your idea of a snack is always a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar that’s not a great choice, but there are so many great snack options out there! Snacking can be a great way to curb those hunger pangs, especially on busy days when your main meals are more spaced apart. It’s much better to have a snack than to let yourself become ravenous as this can lead to overconsumption of calories. More commonly known as when “your eyes are bigger than your belly”. You’ll feel uncomfortably full and if this is a regular occurrence it can lead to unwanted weight gain.
Snacking throughout the day can also be a great way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Fruit and veg can be eaten raw, and when eaten raw they provide more vitamins than when cooked.
Fruit, vegetables, nuts & seeds are all sources of fibre, which sadly over 80% of Irish adults don’t get enough of (Shannon, 2019)! Fibre is also a great way to curb hunger as it takes longer to digest than simple sugars you’d find in things like sweets, energy drinks etc.
Some studies have suggested that eating high fibre, high protein snacks can actually help you lose weight. Of course, this is dependent on the individual as everyone is different.
If you are someone who leads a very busy lifestyle, and you often miss meals and then end up snacking on high sugar, salt and saturated fat foods then maybe you should think about carrying healthy snack options.
- Get yourself some airtight containers and make things exciting!
- High fibre crackers (like Ryvita crackers) with different tips can give you fibre, healthy fats, and protein.
- Nuts are a great source of fibre and protein too, especially almonds if you want to get more protein into your diet.
- Whole fruits always great and handy. Have some in your bag or in your car. Make sure you don’t leave them in your car though. Getting a cooler bag might be an idea.
- You can make homemade cereal bars easily. These can be frozen, and they are pack full of flavour and goodness.
So, you see, snacking isn’t all bad. It can be used to prevent hunger and increase your nutrient intake.
Check out my Blog www.sorchashealthyliving.com for some easy to follow Recipe ideas, and if you would like a more personalised one-to-one service check out my service page where I offer Nutrition Consultation, Nutrition Packages and Personalised Nutrition Plans.
