We’ve all been there. Those 10:30am stomach gurgles when you’re starving and just can’t wait till lunch. Or worse, 3:30 or so in the afternoon when fatigue or the munchies set in and you head straight to the office vending machine. What do you need? A SNACK!

Believe it or not, snacks are just as important as your 3 square meals a day. Our bodies need fuel, and eating just three times a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner just isn’t enough. This is particularly true if you are working out or maintaining a high activity level. Your metabolism will burn through your food supply, and you need to keep eating every 2-3 hours to keeping fueling it. More importantly, however, eating in between meals keeps your blood sugar steady, and gives you the energy you need to get through your day. I hoped in today’s post to give a brief overview of what I feel to be some downfalls for snacking habits, and provide you with a few nutritious options. Who doesn’t love a yummy snack?!

I read an article yesterday (and actually shared it on Facebook) from Bodyrock.tv that talked about 12 so called “healthy” foods that in actuality weren’t healthy or nutritious at all. It fascinates me how food propaganda and marketing screams “healthy” “low calorie” “low fat”, etc. everywhere you look. It should be easy to find “healthy” snacks, but if you read a label closely, these “healthy” foods are leaden with salt, chemicals, and SUGAR. A few usual culprits—granola bars, trail mixes, prepackaged snacks, flavored yogurts, and even PROTEIN DRINKS. Have you checked the label lately on a Kind bar or a Lara bar? Told you, all sugar. Even those Special K protein drinks are loaded with it! What’s a girl to do?!

You all have heard me talk time and time again about the importance of clean eating; eating whole foods that have as few ingredients as possible. When it comes to snacking, you should ideally aim to have one snack mid morning (in between breakfast and lunch, duh) and a second snack mid afternoon (between lunch and dinner). I also typically do a casein protein shake or egg whites as my 6th meal an hour or so before bed. Portion control is HUGE here. A snack should not be the same caloric intake as your meals. Avoid temptation to graze (or eat mindlessly) by portioning out your serving, rather than eating the food directly out of the box or container. Additionally, you should definitely incorporate protein into your snack. Some of my favorite snacks are plain Greek yogurt (flavored with crystal light drops or stevia), whey protein shakes, tuna, and ground turkey lettuce wraps. Try to avoid prepackaged snacks like chips, candy, snack mixes, cookies, etc. Essentially anything on what you’d find on what I call the “lunchbox aisle” of the grocery store. I love goldfish crackers, but they aren’t a very healthy snack choice unless you’re looking to eat a bunch of processed crap and still want to be hungry in 15 minutes. An apple or fruit is a good option, but keep in mind that it still translates as sugar to your body. A protein and fat should keep you satiated and hold you over until your next meal. Good combos include—tuna and avocado, turkey and avocado, yogurt (UNFLAVORED—there’s that darn sugar again) and almonds, you get the idea. Veggies and hummus are another great option. You could also make a dip with greek yogurt and your spices of choice for crudités. And I LOVE Quest Bars. Or hard boiled eggs! Refer back to my earlier posts about protein and fat sources if you need more ideas.

Honestly, just try to avoid foods that have more than 3 ingredients. Really. It’s that simple. If it wasn’t around when your great grandmother was, then it’s probably not real food! Remember to prepare ahead of time and bring snacks/food with you to work, school, or on the road so that you don’t have to rely on a less healthy option in a pinch. I don’t buy junk food at the grocery store so that it’s not in our home to tempt us. I don’t even crave junk food now, but in the beginning of my journey I found it was much easier to avoid it if it wasn’t in the house altogether. If I didn’t have access to plate of brownies on the counter or chips in the pantry, I wasn’t going to eat it, plain and simple.

I should also mention that it is equally important to not skip snacking! If you find yourself starving between meals, you likely aren’t eating enough calories to fuel your body for your respective activity level. Also, if you’re famished come meal time, you are likely to give into cravings or over eat. We all know that can cause some serious damage. I touched earlier on how important it is to watch for added sugar in the foods that you eat. I cannot stress this enough—if you look at one thing on a label, make it the sugar content! I promise you will be surprised. If you have to eat packaged food, aim for those with a sugar content of 5g or less per serving, a low carb, and high fiber content. As you become more accustomed to eating clean foods, you will rely less and less on prepackaged items. Just remember, take it one day, one meal, one workout at a time.

I hope you all are enjoying the summer! I LOVE answering questions, so feel free to email me at lipglossandlifting@gmail.com.

Till next time,
-Mere