SNACK SMART TO LOSE WEIGHT AND BE HEALTHEIR

There's no rule against snacking, but make sure you snack smart. These guidelines will help you choose snacks that keep your weight under control and your heart healthy.

If you feel out of control when snacking, take heart. Snacks play an important role when you are trying to lose weight. So stop worrying and learn to snack wisely. We’ll show you how.

Snacking has a number of advantages.

Snacks help balance appetite: If you start your meal feeling ravenous, you might eat so fast that you finish your second helping before feeling the slightest bit full. A small snack can take the edge off hunger and help prevent overeating at your next meal. 

Snacks boost energy: Snacking can give you the energy you need to get through the day. For example, a piece of fruit in midmorning can take care of the “hungries” and help you focus on tasks at hand, especially if you didn’t eat enough for breakfast.

Snacks provide nutrients: When chosen wisely, snacks provide the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that you might not get during meals. Munching on just one carrot helps meet your daily vitamin A needs, and a banana provides the potassium you need.

Guidelines for smart snacking

Snacking offers some benefits, but you still need to be vigilant. Snacks, if not chosen prudently, can be a source of excess fat and calories. Those extra calories eventually show up on the bathroom scale. Snacking helps or hurts you depending on what foods you pick and how much you eat. Follow these strategies and snack without guilt.

Watch the amount: Remember to read the calorie amount per serving on the nutrition label of a food package—even for your healthful choices. For example, a single serving of almonds may be only 170 calories, but keep eating handful after handful, and you will have consumed a whole cup of almonds and 825 calories!

Practice the art of calorie balancing. Any snack can be part of a healthful diet, as long as you don’t take in more calories than you need.

  

Choose snacks that help you feel full longer and provide needed nutrients. Low-fat yogurt, nuts, and lean meats are protein-rich. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads and cereals are fiber-rich.

Be mindful. Mindless fueling or grazing adds numerous calories to your diet. Eating five peanut candy-coated chocolate pieces, a handful of chips, a swig of orange juice, and a sliver of cake (OK, three slivers of cake) amounts to 250 calories or more and still leaves you hungry and wishing for more.

Listen to your body. Snack only when you’re hungry. This sounds straightforward, but many people snack out of habit, boredom, or stress. If this sounds like you, try to identify your feelings and find an alternative way to feed your needs. Try listening to music, reading a book, or calling a friend.

Snack smart at home. Your home holds better snack options than the mall food court or a drive-through restaurant. But even at home, if you’re not conscientious, it’s easy to eat more than a snack-size portion. Although no rule exists as to how many calories a snack should be, try to set a limit of 200 calories or less. Then you might not need to give up any food at your next meal. To eat the amount you plan, portion out your snack on a plate or place the measured snack in an individual plastic bag—ready for the next snack attack. You can also purchase a variety of single-serving snack packages, which are becoming increasingly popular.