BETTER SNACKING
A well-timed snack may prevent overeating at the next meal. But sometimes we snack mindlessly, and often when we’re not hungry. That kind of snacking can make weight control difficult. Here are some strategies for smarter snacking.
BUY SNACKS IN INDIVIDUAL SERVING PACKAGES
When we buy snacks in individual serving sizes it is much easier to prevent overeating compared to when we snack from family size bags. Even if one individual bag is not enough, and you reach for a second, you’re still probably eating less than if you were to snack from a larger serving container. Also, if you happen to be counting calories, using individual serving sizes makes keeping track much easier.
KEEP TEMPTING FOODS OUT OF SIGHT
If you know a particular snack is going to be too tempting for you, don’t bring it home. But, if you already have some tempting snacks lurking in your kitchen, you’re much less likely to eat them if you keep them out of sight. Try placing easy to grab snack foods inside a cupboard instead of keeping them out on the counter.
KEEP LOWER CALORIE SNACKS ON HAND
If you feel the need to munch, even if you are not hungry, it can be helpful to keep some ready-to-eat low calorie snacks on hand. These could include veggies, a low calorie dip, air popped popcorn, fresh fruit, individual bags of pretzels, and sugar free ice pops.
EAT MINDFULLY
We often overeat, especially with snack-type foods, when multitasking. It’s important to avoid being distracted by a phone, TV, or book, so we can truly savor and enjoy our food. Also, when we’re being mindful while we eat we can more easily sense when we’re getting full, which is the best cue we have to prevent overeating.