Being Prepared: Snacking Guilt-Free
There are always going to be times when we are either just hanging out at the house, on our rest days, or busy running errands and traveling. In those times we need to be prepared to make sure that we stay on track with our food. It’s easy to forget because we get so busy, and our stomachs start rumbling. Then we’re in trouble. We want to grab anything and everything in sight just to satisfy our hunger and typically it’s not the greatest choice.
Avoid Guilty Snacking
Having unhealthy options in the house is one of the most dangerous things because they are readily available and typically don’t need to be cooked or microwaved. They’re easy to just pop into our mouths and then ten minutes later, after we’ve almost devoured the entire bag of whatever it is, we feel completely guilty and either keep going or do it all over again later. There are ways around that with better options. All it takes a small amount of time right after you get home from the grocery store.
Pick Healthy, Grab-n-Go Options
When shopping for healthy snacking options, pick snacks like deli meats, veggies, or nuts. All of these options can be easily packed into grab-n-go bags and taken from the fridge or cabinet to snack on. When you get home from the grocery store, take all of your snack items out and split them up to their proper portion sizes into baggies and containers. This strategy is so you don’t end up eating the whole bag of those too. You won’t have to worry about what you have in the house to snack on because you will already know what you’ve prepared ahead of time. No thinking involved! Just remember to keep track of how much you’re eating to avoid mindless eating.
Choose Non-Refrigerated Options for Traveling
When you’re on the go, make sure to have snacks that don’t need refrigeration. Nuts including pecans, macadamias, walnuts, almonds are all great choices; as well as fruit, dried fruit, seeds, and some types of jerky. The options are endless! Snacks don’t need to be boring. Making healthy trail mixes are a great way to change things up or roasting nuts like chickpeas.
There are many healthy snacking options out there that are easily accessible. Look snack recipes up online or ask a friend or co-worker for their favorite snack. Researching new ideas is an easy, fun way to find your new favorite, easy snack.