Here’s how to reap the rewards of eating small nutritious snacks throughout the day.
We’ve all been there – you start a healthy eating plan, only to end up falling off the wagon because you’re always feeling hungry.
Author of The Pursuit of Excellence: Learning To Be Nothing Short of Extraordinary, Thando Zono, says no matter your fitness goals, it’s important to keep your energy levels up and metabolism working by snacking.
Snacking also helps with regulating sugar and insulin levels, to avoid getting those dips in energy throughout the day.
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“You’re also less likely to binge eat because snacking curbs hunger. Instead of three heavy main meals, it’s far better to space them out with snacks in between,” she says.
Fitness fanatic Ophela Mhlauli warns that thirst sometimes masquerades as hunger. She also advises that you buy healthy snacks in bulk, then portion them later.
“Snacking isn’t cheat day, and remember that one bad snack isn’t the end of the world.”
How many times should you snack?
“If you have three full meals, then you can snack two to three times a day,” Ophela explains.
Will eating a bedtime snack pack on the kgs?
“There’s nothing wrong with a light bedtime snack – try air popcorn,” she adds.
Thando recommends eating something light before exercising, as that helps with achieving your desired results.
“A combination of smart carbs and protein from the list below should be sufficient,” she says.
Carbs: Peach, plum, pear, apple, cucumber sticks, carrot sticks.
Protein: Biltong, boiled egg, hummus, almonds, tuna.
5 Snacking tips
1. Drink more water! “Aim for two to three litres a day. The water in your coffee and tea does not count,” Thando says.
2. Eat every two to three hours. It must be within the first 90 minutes of waking up and then nourish your body every three hours.
3. Practice portion control. A handful of almonds, or one tablespoon of peanut butter, should be sufficient.
4. Be prepared. Keep snacks in your car and office drawer so you always have something healthy to nibble on.
Snack, regardless of your fitness goals. The difference lies in your portions and the nutritional value of your snack.
