Smart Snacking: How to Address Temptation
Eating healthy is hard.
In fact, one of the most common challenges in staying consistent with healthy eating habits is not just understanding the right foods to include in our meals, but also what to do between those meals.
Getting yourself on the right track for eating healthy is not about telling yourself the things you can’t eat. Instead, you should focus on the good things that you can have, whether it’s a lot or in small portions.
The key is to eliminate temptation. Completely take away the temptation to grab something fast, cheap and processed. The best way to do that is by making a true effort to keep processed food out of your cabinets. Let’s be honest the sweet, salty, crunchy processed snacks are tempting (even to me!), so I won’t allow myself to even bring junk/processed food into my house.
However, we all eat unhealthy snacks from time to time. Instead of being so hard on yourself anytime you may slip up (it happens), encourage yourself by developing strategies for your success. Below are the top tips that I use to snack healthily.
1. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Keep the snacks on a higher shelf or cabinet. Put them in a place where they are not the first thing you look at when you open the door. It’s hard not to be tempted with crunchy chips or sweet cookies when they’re right in front of your face.
I seriously keep my snacks so high in my cabinet that I have to get a stepladder to reach them. Do you think I feel like dragging out the step ladder every single time I find myself wanting a simple, quick snack? Believe it or not, that added step in the process deters me from taking a route that I don’t need to go down in the first place.
2. Keep Raw Ingredients Closer to You
I keep my beans, brown rice, quinoa and raw nuts like almonds on the shelves closer to my eye level. This way, whenever I open a cabinet looking for something to satisfy some hunger, I’m much more likely to prepare a nutrient-rich snack and stay on track with my goals.
3. Snack Right
This biggest problem is not that you snack it’s what you’re snacking on. Often we snack on what’s quick and convenient but those foods usually end up being processed and unhealthy. When we reach for junk food, is it really because we truly feel like our body is calling for greasy French fries or crunchy chips? Probably not.
Our bodies crave fuel and we cannot satisfy that need with empty energy from junk food. Craving a crunchy treat? Why not try some kale chips or dried chickpeas? I try to keep chopped fruit and vegetables in my refrigerator at all times for quick snacks to pop in my mouth. This allows me to satisfy my snacking sensation, but with a more healthy option.
Like I said, snacking healthily is hard. But if there is one thing you take away from this post, please remember: eating healthy is not about punishment, it’s about nourishment.