A Quick Guide for Healthier Ways to Snack

When it comes to hitting your fitness goals, how you snack can make or break you. I am all for snacking! I highly recommend it. It isn't fun for you or anyone around you when you go into 'hangry' mode. Trust me, I am that girl who has a gym bag and purse full of snacks to help me get through busy days. Knowing how beneficial it is to fuel your body throughout the day, I wanted to put together a little guide to help you put together snacks that you enjoy that won't set you back when it comes to your goals. Hope this helps!

Quit Tips When it Comes to Snacking

· Avoid grazing – be aware of what and how much you are eating. Measure out your servings rather than eating straight out of the box/bag.

· Try to include a vegetable or a fruit into each snack – the fiber will help keep you fuller for longer. They are also jam packed with vitamins and minerals your body needs!

· Include a healthy fat or protein with each snack to keep you fuller longer (example: a piece of fruit with some peanut butter; turkey rolled up in a Siete tortilla)

· I’m going to say this one more time… PROTEIN! Make sure you are getting some protein in with each snack. Are you having sugar cravings? Guess what! Protein has been show to help fight those pesky cravings.

· Snacks should contain between 200-250 calories, 3+ grams of fiber, 5+ grams of protein (please keep in mind that this is just a very basic guideline; I know everyone has very different needs, but this is still good to keep in mind)

· Aim to eat about every 3-4 hours

· Remember that the “snack foods” that you often find in the middle aisles of grocery store (chips, cookies, 100-calorie packs.. etc.) are super refined carbohydrates and very low in actual nutritional value. Let’s try to keep it clean here y’all!

· LOW CALORIE DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN IT IS A HEALTHY CHOICE!!!

· One more time – LOW CALORIE DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN IT IS A HEALTHY CHOICE!

· Monitor calories coming from drinks (juice, soda, sports drinks) – stick to water and unsweetened teas

· Pre-portion your snacks – use your kitchen scale to measure out single servings of nuts, seeds, cereal, granola, etc. and throw them into separate Stasher bags for easy grab and go access when you are rushing out the door (key to not overeating as you probably would if you were eating straight out of the bag or container)

Healthy Snack Ideas

· Homemade sweet trail mix (2 tablespoons of each: dark chocolate chips, almonds, dried cranberries)

· Fresh (or dried) fruit + a hard-boiled egg (make sure you weigh out dried fruit – it is very easy to overeat and will definitely add up in sugars)

· Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios (preferably unsalted and weighed out into single serving sizes)

· Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt with granola (Purely Elizabeth is my favorite brand to recommend)

· Low fat cottage cheese + diced tomatoes, onions, green peppers

· Meat + cheese roll-ups (example: 3 slices of fresh Boar’s Head deli turkey + 2 thinly sliced pieces of low-fat cheese)

· RX Bars

· Primal Kitchen Bars

· Apple slices + peanut butter

· Celery + peanut butter

· Measure out hummus + raw veggies

· String cheese + piece of fruit

· 1 slice of whole wheat bread (Ezekiel is my favorite all around; they even have GF options that are so good!) + measured out peanut butter + ½ banana

· 1 slice of whole wheat bread + ¼ avocado + 1 egg

· Crackers + tuna/Boar’s Head Turkey (Flackers and Mary’s Gone Crackers are some of my fave brands)

Hope this little guide helps you make healthier choices when it comes to snacking! ENJOY!

- Body By Riss