How to Decide if Snacking is REALLY a Healthy Habit

Is snacking really a healthy habit?

For a long time, the diet industry was promoting three meals and two snacks a day. We were taught to eat snacks and meals that contained protein, healthy fats and fiber-rich carbohydrates so as not to spike our blood sugar. I clearly remember eating a yogurt and nuts in between lunch and breakfast even though I wasn’t remotely hungry.

This was not a good plan for me because I wasn’t willing to decrease the size of my meals, it made me constantly think about what to eat next, and I found it inconvenient and annoying to eat that often. While I was able to determine this plan was not a good fit for me, I know that many people think they need to snack in order to have enough energy to make it through the day. They may be right, but it isn’t the right eating pattern for everybody. People’s bodies respond differently to food, so no one “diet” works the same for everyone. Let me walk you through the steps to help you decide if snacking is really a healthy habit for YOU.

Do you eat large meals?

What defines a large meal is very dependent on your height. Someone who is 5’10 needs more food than someone else who is 5’3. As a general guideline, if you eat a well-balanced meal between 600 and 800 calories, then you might be a good candidate for skipping snacks. However, if you just can’t eat that much in one sitting, you will most likely need a snack.

Do you eat healthy snacks?

Do you snack on chips, candy, granola bars, pastries, or sugar-filled drinks? This type of snacking doesn’t help anybody. In order for a snack to benefit you, it needs to have a good ratio of protein, healthy fats, and fiber. While eating a piece of fruit is a great choice, it is really better to add something like 8 almonds which increases the healthy fats, protein and fiber.

The main problem with healthy snacking is that it is hard. Most prepackaged snacks are not healthy. To eat healthy snacks requires you to plan ahead in order to have a balanced snack on hand versus just grabbing something on the go. If you are willing to put forth the effort to have healthy snacks on hand, then snacking might be a good choice for you. However, if you are just going to eat a sugar-laden granola bar, you would benefit more from eating larger healthier meals.

How big is the snack?

Many people eat snacks that have the caloric equivalent of a meal. They aren’t eating a small portion between 200 and 400 calories to tide them over until their next meal. Rather they are eating another meal. For some people, snacking causes them to eat more calories during the day than they need. If this is the case, then eliminating snacking might be a good decision.

Do you snack out of habit or hunger?

Many people eat snacks out of habit. Maybe you needed a snack when you were younger or used to have a job that required you to eat a late lunch so you needed a snack to tide you over. You got in the habit of eating a snack and have continued without even thinking about it.

It is important to ONLY snack if you are hungry or if you know you need to eat now in order to avoid being too hungry the next time you are free to eat. If the snack is part of your nourishment for the day, then you definitely need to eat a snack. However, if you are just eating a snack because you are bored or because it is snack time, then perhaps it is time for you to give up that snack.

What do you think? Is it time to cut out or reduce your snacking?

If you have determined that you would be better off cutting out snacks altogether or eating fewer snacks, it can be challenging. Sometimes our cravings can get the best of us, and we find ourselves reaching for our favorite snack even though we promised ourselves that we wouldn’t. If this sounds like you, then I invite you to join my FREE Crush Cravings Challenge here where you will learn my 3 step process to crush cravings and stay on track with your ditch the snacking goals.

Originally published at www.claireketchum.com on November 1, 2018.