Sneaky Calories and Healthy Snacking

Today we are celebrating National Chip and Dip Day! In honor of the under-appreciated day I whipped up some oil free, oven baked sweet potato chips and super easy “guacamole” (consisting of avocado, fresh lime juice, salt and black pepper) to munch on. That being said, just because it’s National Chip and Dip Day doesn’t mean you should be reaching for that bag of fried potato chips and creamy onion dip so fast! While it’s okay to snack on these foods once in a while, it’s important to pay attention to what you’re eating and ask yourself ‘how is this benefiting my body and health?’

Snacks are great, I love snacks. However snacks don’t always love us back the way we want them to, sometimes, they love us in handles rather than energy. Snacking is an easy way to help control what you’re eating, but can also be the culprit for overeating.

Overindulging and Under-nourishing

For some, it can be easy to plan healthy meals. Oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch, lean meat and veggies for dinner; and that’s all great but we often forget about the snacking we do in between. From specialty coffees, sodas at lunch and munching after work we tend to lose track or forget about that extra cookie we snagged at the office. These calories can add up and overtime lead to extra weight gain. Also, when consuming beverages, you usually don’t associate them as food and may forget about the calories in your mocha caramel latte pick-me-up you had. Calories like these often leave you with cravings from all the sugar in them and give you empty calories. Empty calories is another way of saying a food that is usually high in calories, fat and sodium, but limited in the micronutrients, healthy fats, protein and fiber.

Bottom Line: Pay attention to everything you consume. It’s easy to brush off that soda, or rationalize just one extra cookie. Just be sure that means you perhaps don’t have your after dinner snack that night to keep your body happy and healthy and diet balanced.

 

Watch out for Gimmicks

It can be really difficult to pick out a healthy snack when on the go. Navigating the snack aisle without picking up something unhealthy is nearly impossible, especially when they make claims such as low fat, high fiber, contains vitamin C, etc. There are a few general guidelines to help you pick a healthy snack on the go:

 
~Aim for a snack between 200-300 calories.

This is usually an adequate amount for a snack because a snack is intended to hold you over in between meals, not fill you up!

 
~Reach for foods high in fiber and protein

The protein will give you energy while the fiber will give you the feeling of fullness.

Some examples include: An apple and peanut butter, whole wheat crackers and peanut butter/cheese/nuts, veggies and hummus, yogurt and berries, or low-sugar trail mix.

 
~Avoid high sugar items

Some ‘healthy’ snacks contain a lot of sugar. A big culprit is granola bars, which have a reputation of being a health food. Looks for ones that contain no added sugar, and instead get their sugar from natural sources like dried fruit. Larabar and Kind are some great options that are often low in added sugars.

 
~Plan ahead

If you’re always on the go, try and pack snacks to take with you to avoid the gas station temptations. A great way to do this is stash a few healthy granola bars in your car, make some homemade granola and leave a container in your car or in small containers that are ready to grab or keep individual squeeze peanut butter packets in your car, backpack or purse and grab fruit before you leave.

 
~Mindless Eating

We have probably all been guilty of this at one point or another. You sit down to watch TV after dinner and want a little something to snack on, no problem. So you pop a bag of popcorn, bring it to the living room and next thing you know you have single-handedly devoured the whole thing. This can sabotage anyone’s healthy eating if it becomes habit.

 
How can you avoid this?

~Portion your snacks!

If it’s a food that comes in a bag or bigger container, place the amount you want in a bowl and bring that to the living room with you. You can always go back for seconds if you’re still hungry, but you will probably find you’re satisfied after one helping.

 
Mindful Eating

Sometimes, life gets stressful. As a girl taking 15 credits, 3 internships, 1 job and a slew of extracurricular trust me I get it. I also know I am guilty of stress eating. Some days, you get home and you’re so overwhelmed by school, work, bills, an argument or whatever else it may be and you just think that bag of chips or bar of chocolate will make you feel better. Sometimes, it does, and sometimes you just feel lousy after. It can be really hard to break these habits but when reaching for a snack ask yourself first: Am I really hungry, or do I just feel like eating? It’s important to learn to recognize when we’re bored, upset, happy, angry or truly hungry.

 
How do I eat more mindfully?

~Start by asking yourself that question. Being able to listen to your body and tell what it really needs is huge! Sometimes, your body will send hunger cues when it needs water, so try drinking some water or tea first.  Also, it takes 20-30 minutes for your stomach to signal to your brain that you are full.  So compromise with yourself, if you’re still hungry in 25 minutes you can go back for an extra helping.

 
~If you feel like you want a snack for the wrong reason, try replacing your snacking with another activity. Maybe give yourself a break to check facebook, chew some gum, or my favorite distraction- play with my kitten 🙂

 
~If you still can’t shake the craving and just need to nom something- make it healthy! If you need something crunchy reach for carrots or celery. If you want something salty pop your own popcorn and salt it yourself! Popcorn is a great option because it contains little calories (when it’s not the Butter Lover’s store bought kind), is high in fiber, is a whole grain and you can eat a lot for a few calories, making you feel fuller longer. This way you can munch on 2 cups of popcorn for less fat, calories and sodium than you could on 1 handful of potato chips.

 
There could be (and will be in the future!) a whole post on mindful eating! The key is don’t get discouraged! If you had a few cookies at work today- it happens, none of us are perfect. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to come home and keep eating that way though. Take each meal or snack as a new opportunity to make healthier choices that are better for your body. And once you start snacking on healthier options, you will almost certainly feel a difference! You won’t get sugar rushes, your cravings will decrease, and you’ll find yourself satisfied for longer!

 
So enjoy your chips and dip – but make them a little healthier, your body will thank you!

 
What’s your go-to healthy snack?
 
Peas and Love ❤