How Snacking Can Make or Break Your Goals
Sometimes, even when our meals are healthy and we’re exercising regularly, unhealthy snacking can creep in and get in the way of our health goals. The more we eat unhealthy junk foods, the more we crave them – they’re sneaky like that.
The most effective way to reduce and ultimately demolish those cravings for unhealthy foods is to eat healthy, fresh, whole foods — even at snack times.
Snack foods are typically thought of as pre-packaged foods, which almost always means junk food. This challenge is all about redefining the idea of simple, healthy foods – including arming you with the knowledge on how to snack healthy. Healthy snacking is an important piece to the puzzle of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and once you start seeing results, you’ll be motivated to continue on the path.
The first important task to complete is to brainstorm and jot down your typical go-to’s for snacking.
What do you generally reach for when you need a small snack? What do you purchase at the grocery store each week for your snacks? Realizing our patterns is the first step to changing and tweaking them.
Secondly, and most important, is brainstorming ideas for new, healthy snacks that you can have around regularly.
Some simple, healthy snacks to always have on hand include:
- Fresh, raw veggies such as celery and carrots
- Fresh fruit such as apple slices, bananas, grapes or melon
- Raw nuts and dried fruit
Action Steps:
- Jot down your current habits. What are your typical snack items?
- Consider if your current snack items are healthy. What new, healthy snack items can you stock up on weekly at the grocery store to change your patterns?
Here's another recipe to enjoy...
Zoodles
Use your Spiralizer (they’re $10 or less if you need one) to make zucchini noodles. Toss your raw noodles
with any healthy toppings of your choice, along with a drizzle of olive oil
or another favorite healthy dressing. Yum!