Coppell Boot Camp and Personal Trainer Tip of the Week – Healthy Snacking Tips 101
Boot Camp and Personal Trainer Cynthia Linder with the Healthy Tip of the Week
Contrary to popular belief, snacking is one of the best ways to manage weight and weight loss. However, it is the portion and choice of snacks that makes all the difference. Below are some great tips to help you make the best snack choices for YOUR personal goals.
#1. Why Snack? Picture your metabolism like a campfire. A good well-balanced (protein, carbs, and healthy fats) breakfast will get that fire going and then the small meals (and snacks) throughout the day is what will keep it going. Going longer than 4 hours without food slows down your metabolism, dwindles down your fire. By constantly putting good healthy fuel on your fire, your metabolism will be in a continuous burn mode. You look at any nutrition program and it will have eating snacks on the plan. The studies have shown that eating smaller amounts of meals/snack throughout the day WILL help in weight loss and maintaining your weight.
#2. What makes a good snack? PROTEIN! A protein-based snack is what will effectively bridge the gap between meal times. A snack with 7-10 grams of protein will help you feel fuller longer and therefore less likely to grab another snack an hour later. Remember the fire? If you wanted to keep a fire burning, you wouldn’t throw crunchy dead leaves on it, would you? So eating an unhealthy snack or a snack without a good source of protein is like throwing dead leaves on your fire. A fire needs good balanced fuel.
#3. Be Prepared! Oftentimes we find ourselves in the car, maybe stuck in traffic or in between driving the kids around and we are STARVING. When we allow ourselves to get this hungry we are more likely to make a poor food choice because we will grab the first thing we see. So keep healthy snacks in your purse, in the car and at work. Make sure you take time each week to do your shopping so you do have healthy and convenient snacks to put in your purse, car, or at work.
#4. What should I eat? I am going to list a few of my personal go-to snacks. Some can be left in the car and some do
need to be refrigerated, but just be sure to have them on hand. Remember, the key is to eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day. Your lunch and dinner do not have to be big meals if you are eating 2 snacks (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) which will keep your calories down.
- Luna Bars-about 190 calories, 4g or fiber and 9-10g of protein.
- Almonds-only have a small handful or measure out a ¼ cup into snack bags. These are PERFECT
for car or purse b/c they won’t go bad. Plain and raw are best. - Kashi Bars-These come a quite a few varieties. Some are smaller snack size like the granola bars and some are heartier. Just take a look at the calories so you know what you are getting.
- Fruit-any fruit is great but it MUST be combined with protein. As scrumptious as fruit is, it does not have protein. Apples make a great portable on the go treat.
- Yogurt-We love the Kroger brand CarbMaster because of the protein content (12g). If you are getting yogurt check calories, protein and be sure it has no High Fructose Corn Syrup
Cheese-String Cheese or some of those cute BabyBel cheese rounds have great protein, but because they are a dairy product be aware of the fat content.- Triscuits– The plain variety is best and has only 3 ingredients. Again, stick to the serving size and couple it with some cheese. Makes a great stand-alone portable snack.
Healthy snacking is a great way to manage your eating habits. Just be sure to watch your portions and read the label in order to determine the “serving size”. This list is by no means exhaustive, but rather a peek into what I like to have on hand. What are some of your favorite snacks? Email them to us at Cynthia@getyouinshape.com so we can continue to add to this great list.
Written By: Cynthia Linder – Cynthia is a personal trainer for www.GetYouInShape.com , which is a health and fitness company in Coppell, TX in the Dallas area. Get You In Shape has the Dallas and Coppell Boot Camps, Private Fitness Training, the 40 Day Challenge, Weight Loss Program, Sports Performance and other Services. If you are in Dallas, Coppell, Irving, Carrolton, Grapevine, Lewisville, Plano, Flower Mound, Highland Park, and other Dallas cities, Get You In Shape is close to you.
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