Here’s a good rule of thumb where eating is concerned:
START EATING BEFORE YOU’RE HUNGRY AND STOP EATING BEFORE YOU’RE FULL
I know that may sound a little backwards, but it really works. The point is, you don’t want to get to the ‘I could eat the kitchen sink’ stage of hunger where you’re likely to make poor nutritional choices. As well, it takes about 20 minutes for your belly to tell your brain that it’s full, so if you STOP eating before you get full, then it’s less likely that you’ll over eat. Sounds simple right?
Snacking is an important way to keep your energy sustained and avoid binge eating. I find most of my clients that have healthy snacks tend to eat less late at night. Go figure.
Here are some of my favorite snack ideas for when I’m at home:
- Hummus and red peppers
- Jerky and cantelope
- Cheddar cheese and apple or pear
- Cottage cheese and peaches
- Turkey or ham slices and pickles
- Pistachios and nectarine
- Hard boiled egg and grapes
- Peanut butter on celery sticks
- Greek yogurt and berries
- Cottage cheese, whey protein and flax oil (you can check out MY favorite protein HERE)
I know that you have a busy life. I try to pack food when I’m out and about, but in the case where I’m empty handed (it happens to everyone), here are my top five convenience store picks in the video below. I was disappointed that I could ONLY find five decent choices.
To summarize, these were my top convenience store picks:
-protein shake – watch for added carbs, keep them under 10 g
-hard boiled eggs
-fresh fruit
-roasted almonds
-protein bars – watch for carbs, often times bars have 40+ carbs, keep carbs under 10 g, sugar alcohols and fiber don’t count towards total carb count
I’ve recently stumbled on COOKIES. In fact, I even brought them to boot camp one day and my campers thought I was nuts. Truth is, these cookies are like no other. They are gluten free and have 12 g of protein in them. I ALWAYS have one in my car, purse and in my back pack when I travel. I feel like I’m having a bit of a treat, but I know I’m not sabotaging my nutrition when I eat one, whether I’m on the go or if I want a treat at home.
You can check out my new favorite protein filled snack for on the go HERE.