There’s a lot of misinformation about snacking. A lot of it comes from moms worried it would ruin your appetite for supper. The truth is, snacking can actually help you lose weight. However, the real key is they type of snack you choose. If you opt for a bag of M&Ms or a quick order of nachos at the 7-11, you really need to wait until supper. A snack of an apple or other healthy food is more in line with the type of snacking that’s good for you.
Healthy snacks are good and can even help you lose weight.
If you feel you could eat almost anything by the time it’s supper or lunch, you’ll probably overeat. Having a healthy snack helps you resist the urge to overeat. You can plan for healthy snacks and have bagged portions of nuts or an apple in your desk at work or break your meals down into five meals, with two of those being snacks. Just like going to the grocery on an empty stomach, going without a snack could make you more susceptible to eating higher calorie junk food.
Boost your brain power with healthy snacks.
If you feel exhausted and out of steam by mid-afternoon, a healthy snack might help you. Don’t fall for that quick and sudden surge of energy that comes from sugary treats. It causes a quick decline in your energy level as quickly as it boosts it. Food like nuts, fresh fruit, whole grains and vegetables can lift you up and improve your mood without that sharp rise and decline. Choosing options like walnuts and tuna can increase your Omega-3. That helps fight high blood pressure, heart disease and helps with mental conditions like schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
You can normalize your sugar levels to perform your best throughout the day.
If you divide your meals to five smaller meals or create three meals with two healthy snacks, you’ll help maintain your blood sugar level better. Blood sugar can dip after three to five hours following a meal. By spacing the meals closer together, it keeps your metabolism at peak performance. If your body goes into starvation mode, it slows functions to save energy and that means a slower metabolism.
- If you want to do your best at work, try taking healthy snacks with you. Healthy snacks can help improve focus and boost your energy. Trail mix is one option you can keep in your desk. Make sure it’s filled with healthy options like dried berries and nuts.
- If you opt for nuts, trail mix or other type of snack that’s not fruits or vegetables, make sure you watch portion control. While a handful of trail mix can keep you going and aid in weight loss, a pound certainly wouldn’t.
- Choosing your snack wisely is important. One study showed that people who ate snack foods in combinations, such as cheese and vegetables, at fewer calories before feeling full, by up to 72% compared to those who ate snack foods like chips, plus they received more nutrition.
- Studies show that snacking might have other health benefits, besides weight control. Two studies showed it helped lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDLs. It also showed snacking could help insulin and blood sugar levels.
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