photo by IDcross
Many of us have weak moments throughout the day when we feel like we must eat something. These moments of weakness never amount to anything good. I admit it, I have a weakness right around 3:00 PM everyday (Oreo cookies and milk or nachos beware!). If I don't plan my day in advance I will likely fail and eat something I shouldn't. Now, I don't mean we can't indulge in some goodies every once in a while, but not everyday and certainly not every time our little hearts desire.
First of all, if we eat balanced, nutritious meals, starting with breakfast, we are less likely to have these crazy cravings. Second, we must first recognize what it is our bodies crave. Many times I've been able to escape the claws of my cookies and milk by simply drinking a glass of cold water or herbal tea, hot or cold. I personally wouldn't recommend ignoring a craving or ignoring a grumbling stomach because chances are you will devour something before or during dinner and then you'll feel worse. It is best to recognize what your body is telling you and give it hydration and nutrition, it really doesn't have to be bad.
Second, it is also important that you prepare for your week, in advanced. Make a list of recipes, snacks, drinks, anything you can anticipate you might want to eat that week. Have a plan, a list, and a full stomach when you go shopping and you'll be less likely to buy foods you wouldn't normally buy.
Not long ago I went to my local Farm Fresh on the way home from the gym. I stopped in to get milk, cereal and fruit. I was starving after a hard workout and needless to say I picked up a bag of "healthy chips" to tie me over. The bag comes with 4 servings of what is supposed to be vegetable chips, however, I finished the bag before I arriving at the checkout. Yes I felt guilty, I drank lots of water on the way. I guess I was trying to undo the damage, but of course, it was too late.
With that in mind, here are some snack ideas to help get you started:
Fruits, nuts, vegetables, granola, yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter, low fat yogurt, dried fruit, herbal tea, water...the list goes on.
Freeze your fruits for a sweet summer treat: Grapes- wash them and place them on a plate or cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. Once they freeze, place them in plastic bags or containers and back in the freezer. This will allow them to freeze individually.
Do the same with papaya, mango, berries- same thing except these you can toss in your fruit smoothies.
Chopped fruit with cottage cheese
Sliced Granny Smith apples and Peanut Butter or cottage cheese
Chick Peas--make some humus and eat it with home made pita chips. Nancy from CR8 Health and Fitness has some yummy recipes you'll want to try.
Trail mix-- Easy stuff here, just toss together your leftover cereal
which I'm sure its pretty healthy right? Also, add in dried fruits such as raisins, craisins, cherries, dates, nuts. For a sweet treat try yogurt chips or mini chocolate or peanut butter chips--keep these limited. Keep a jar ready to go or make up little snack bags in advance
so that they are ready for you to enjoy or take along.
Veggies--cooked or raw, in salads, meat dishes, in a wrap or in your glass. Yes, I said your glass because you can juice just about anything these days. Mike at livelife365 says this about carrots:
Besides being an excellent source of fiber and low in calories (one cup of chopped raw carrots has only 50 calories), carrots are loaded with good stuff for you. Like potassium, antioxidants and pro-vitamin A carotene.
Now imagine adding an apple, cucumber, celery sticks and whatever else suits you in this juicing process. Very delicious and nutritious. If juicing is not your thing, then eat them raw don't over dip or you might miss the whole point of healthy snacking.
As you can see, there are plenty of food items for you to choose before you give in to the cookies and milk craving. From grabbing an easy "to-go" fruit such as apples or bananas to getting real fancy and making a smoothie or trail mix, you really can't go wrong if you select the most natural, raw foods available everywhere.
Stay tuned for the mind-body connection coming up in the next post. In the mean time, remember to stay in tune with your body and do what's right to keep it running smoothly! It's your health, make it great!
Stay well,
Quote from Ms Fit's Corner: "To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."
~ La Rochefoucauld
(Trailmix photo by Elena's Pantry)
