Oh, snacks! How we love snacks and how we feel guilty about snacking. It’s such a love/hate relationship for us. And a lot of how that relationship developed is how we THINK about snacks, what we believe makes a GOOD one and how we’ve been conditioned to choose certain foods for our snacks.
A quick search for “favorite snack foods” led me to Thrillist’s listing of “100 Greatest Snacks of All Time”. Here are their Top 10:
1- Doritos
2- Oreos
3- Pringles
4- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
5- Goldfish
6- Cheetos
7- M&Ms
8- Cheez-Its
9- Haribo Gummies
10- Fritos
If you have grown up in America, you will probably recognize each one on the list. And probably eaten every one on the list at some point-and one or two this very week. A quick assessment of the list and we come up with a very poor nutrition rating for each. Sugar, flavorings, preservatives, empty carbohydrates, but very tasty! I know, I know, I like them too. None of us are immune. I believe the food scientists at Lays have stolen my taste buds for marketing research.
But this list represents what we think a snack is. This is what people will say they snack on when asked. And whether you want to blame the food companies, or the busy culture we exist in, or just the cool factor of the packaging and the way they taste, these foods are what we associate with “good” snacks.
My hope today in my note to you is just to get you thinking about snacks in a different way.
Truthfully, we tend to undereat our meals (especially breakfast and lunch) and overeat our snacks. Snacks make up 20-50% of the calories we eat each day. Too many!
The original purpose of a snack was to refuel your body until you could get to a meal.
Not be a meal in itself.
So, as we return to the original idea of a snack, here a few things I’d like you to ponder:
1- Have a substantial breakfast and lunch. I wrote about this in my last note, but when we eat 400-500 calories in each of these meals, our mid-afternoon cravings are greatly reduced.
2- Think about your snack as a “second lunch”. If you think about it as such, you will be much more likely to eat things you’d classify as lunch foods: sandwiches, peanut butter and fruit, yogurt, salads, the second half of your lunch.
3- Put three food groups together. A little protein, a little fat, and a little carbohydrate will balance your blood sugar and refuel you well for a productive afternoon. Here are some examples from href=”http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>CrossFit’s Zone diet:
- 1 hard boiled egg, 1/2 orange Sprinkled w/ peanuts
- 1 oz cheese, 1/2 apple, 1 macadamia nut
- 1 oz canned chicken or tuna, 1 peach, 1/2 tsp peanut butter
- 1 oz hummus, 1/2 tomato, 1 1/2 oz feta cheese
- 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 carrot, 3 celery stalks, 5 olives
- 1 1/2 oz shrimp, 2 cups broccoli, 6 peanuts
- 1 oz cheddar cheese melted over 1/2 apple Sprinkled w/ walnuts
4- A protein bar or nutrition bar is a great choice in the afternoon. They’re just more expensive per ounce than other snacks.
5- Don’t completely eliminate your favorite “snack” foods. Just rethink how much of them you eat. 10-15% of the calories you eat each day should be discretionary. That means you can eat whatever you want with those calories!
If you start your day with a 400-500 calorie breakfast and a 400-500 calorie lunch, you’ll find you aren’t as hungry in the afternoon and evening. As backward as that sounds, it’s a good thing!
Refuel with a snack for the afternoon and evening. Then finish with a 2/3 portion dinner. You’ll find you won’t be clawing the pantry for something you’ll feel guilty about later AND this eating pattern will trim you down over the long term.
Reframe the way you think about snacks and they won’t sabotage your day!
Keep moving!
Priscilla
Note: As a fitness coach, it is my highest priority to keep my clients motivated and on track despite obstacles, distractions and just human nature. We all need a supportive environment to maintain healthy lifestyle and habits. If you are searching for that kind of environment, check out what we do here at CrossFit 1088: Hosted by Blue Wave Fit, where our mission is to bring CrossFit to All Ages.http://www.bluewavefitocala.com or email me at: priscilla@bluewavefitocala.com
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