Snacking is very important for supporting a healthy lifestyle. It can keep you energized at work, in class, and give you a good boost of energy before exercise.
However, if snacking becomes out of control and unhealthy, it can do more harm than good. Excessive calorie intake from poor snack choices or snacking when not really hungry can put a huge dent in your weight loss plan.Check your snacking habits by asking yourself the five W’s below before reaching for that snack:
Who?
Who is your snack buddy? Who is influencing your snack attacks? Friends who want to procrastinate at work and grab a Frappucino? Are you listening to your own inner hunger cues?
What?
When?What types of snacks are you choosing? Vending machine? Convenience items? Processed items? Items loaded with sugar, salt and/or fat? Whole fruits and vegetables are super-energizing snacks and should be your "go to" choices.
When do you snack? When you are not very hungry but someone brings donuts to the break room at work? At night when you are bored and watching TV? When you walk in the door from a long day at work and raid the fridge because you are starving from trying to "fad diet" all day? Healthy afternoon snacks such as fruit and cheese, yogurt with nuts, or trail mix can keep you properly fueled for the rest of the work day, avoiding that "refrigeRAIDER" hunger before dinner.Where?
Some places trigger unhealthy snack attacks. The break room at work? Studying or working at the local coffee shop that has display cases full of baked goods? Try avoiding your trigger places whenever possible to help you stay on track.Why?
Stressed? Procrastinating? Distracted? Bored? Are your kids grabbing a snack so you think you should have one too? Make sure you are actually hungry before you reach for that snack. Use The Hunger Scale to determine if you are hungry.
