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Healthy Snacks Guideline

 Now is your time to succeed. Before you can do so, you have to realize that getting to your healthy weight will not take one week, but a few months. There is nothing magic about losing weight, it’s like any other major life change…it takes planning, strategies and determination! Now it’s time to prepare for your success!

It’s normal sometimes to find yourself slipping back into your old meal patterns that got you where you were…so, now it’s important to give yourself credit for the knowledge you’ve gained and the desire to reach a healthy weight. Everyone will occasionally go off track. It’s not “bad”, it’s a process…But, conquer your demons and follow the follow this advice! It’s time to do something different, so prepare now!

If controlling what you are eating is the problem or possibly snacking, there is so much you can do to control your intake. Sometimes it’s hard to control how much you’re eating, it’s a whole easier to control what you are eating. Although I would not recommend more than 1 or 2 snack a day (mid morning and mid-afternoon), here are a few guidelines for healthy snacking (if you print it out and stick it on your fridge or pantry, it serves as a reminder during your snacking time):

1. Space your meals out over the day: take something from each meal to eat 2-3 hours later. For example, if your meal plan calls for cereal, milk, a fruit and a yogurt for breakfast, you can eat your cereal and milk for breakfast and save your fruit and yogurt for a snack 2-3 hours later. Or you can eat your lunch and save your dessert (fruit) for later on…
2. Keep a bottle of water with you to sip on throughout the day. You can also drink sodium-free club soda with a squeeze of lemon or lime (no more than 2 glasses per day), herbal tea, and an occasional diet soda if you choose. Hot bouillon is often a satisfying snack, especially with some crunchy veggies.
3. Keep bags of frozen vegetables in your freezer, and microwave for a quick and healthy snack, with a sprinkle of olive oil. For a list of snacks under 100 calories, click here.
4. A serving of fruit is about 60 calories, and has fiber, vitamins and minerals. 1 medium apple, orange, nectarine or pear; ½ banana, or 1 cup of berries are a few choices.
5. Frozen fruit bars or fudgesicles (the best substitute for chocolate!) have about 60 calories per serving: just read the label! These items, however, should not be consumed every day, but kept as a rewarding pleasure.
6. A proven strategy for your snacks is to prepare everything in advance. Right after you go shopping, prepare all of your “emergency” snacks. Pre-cut the peppers, celery, carrots and veggies. Place the fruits and other healthy snacks into individual baggies. With this done, there is no excuse to not have a healthy alternative available. Preparing in advance will also allow you to save time while cooking diner during the week. When everything is done beforehand it helps to avoid having to make more decisions during your day and takes the stress away from dieting.

Take it one day at a time. Most importantly ask yourself “Do I really want this?”, with this question in mind it should be easier to succeed. In order to kill a weed you have to get to the root! If you find what the root of your problem is, it will be easier to trim the roots and make room for a new healthy plant, a new healthy you! With a little water and your light, there is no way you can fail!