Written By Julie Paiva, CHHC
People often ask, “What is a healthy snack?” Before we talk about some healthy snacking options, lets look at what your motivation is for snacking. There are a few different reasons why you might feel the need to munch. Once you figure out why you want to snack, then you can look at ways to satisfy your snacking impulse.
Here are four of the most common ones:
You are not satisfied with your meals
Something may be missing from your main plate like flavor (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, spicy), or texture (smooth, crunchy, crispy, creamy), or nutrients (both macro and micro), or you simply may not be eating a sufficient quantity of food. What to do: Pay attention to the flavors and textures in your food and see if you feel like you are missing one of your favorites. Make sure that you are eating enough of the right kinds of foods at the right time of day. Check out Dr. Brown’s meal guide on Marpe Wellness.
You are bored
Bored with work, bored with life, bored with yourself, bored with your environment. What to do: Seek a job that you love, find a hobby that brings you joy, spend time with a friend with whom you enjoy their company or rearrange your living space.
You are procrastinating
You don’t want to do what needs to be done, so snacking helps to push the dreaded project further away. What to do: Think about paying someone to do that dreaded project for you (laundry, housecleaning, painting), or just get it done yourself. The more you procrastinate, the longer it’ll be hanging over your head, and the more you’ll need to gnaw on something else to avoid the task. Often things we avoid are usually small and can get done rather quickly when you just get started.
You are hungry
You don’t want to eat a full meal and just want a little something to hold you over until the next eating extravaganza. What to do: Eat! Make a healthy food choice and snack away.
If you are truly hungry and need a snack make sure to pick something that will nourish your body and curb those hunger pains until your next meal time. One way to avoid making an unhealthy snack choice is to prep snacks ahead of time or keep simple things on hand like veggies with nut butter, some low glycemic fresh fruit, goat or sheep yogurt. Marpe has many great snack ideas that you can make ahead of time. Explore some of these healthy snack options.
Paleo Toritlla Chips and Authentic Red Salsa
