Food gives you the energy you need, however, it is easy to overeat snack foods. There are a few ways to minimize unhealthy eating and overindulgence. Check out the following for some tips that can help you cut down on snacking.
Meal planning
Planning what you will eat for the day can have a surprising effect. When you determine in advance what to eat, it is easier to make healthy choices and leaves less room for accidental overeating.
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of your day. Many of us skip breakfast, have a light lunch, snack during the afternoon, and overindulge at dinner. A healthier alternative is eating a big and healthy breakfast to provide an energy boost, while having a moderate portion at lunch and light early dinner. This allows us to cut calories when we need energy the least.
Hydrate and cleanse
Before reaching for a snack, refill your water glass. Dehydration can feel like hunger, so keep a refillable water bottle. Change up dull water by infusing with fruit or making into herbal tea. Fluids can help you detox as well.
Kick out junk food
Avoid buying junk food and keep it out of the house. You can’t eat what you don’t have. Give snacks away to friends or a local charity food pantry. Healthy food at home will nourish your busy family and help everyone build healthy eating habits for life.
If you often go for vending machine snacks, bring healthier fruit and vegetable snacks from home so you won’t be tempted to indulge in high-carb, high-fat, and high-sugar options.
Focused snacking
If you decide to grab a healthy snack, keep your full attention on your snack and avoid other distractions, like your phone or TV, so you notice when you are full.
Use portion control for snacks. Have a measured portion of a snack in a separate container to limit the amount you consume.
Choose to nibble on healthy foods. If you get a sweet craving, opt for fruit or a bite of dark chocolate. Savory cravings call for hummus with vegetables, kale chips, or bean dip. Keep in mind that protein will fill you up and give you energy more than most empty-calorie junk food.
Beyond dieting
If you can’t seem to lose unwanted weight after trying a healthy diet and exercise, you might consider bariatric procedures for weight loss. You might be able to get results without surgery by using a swallowable weight loss capsule. What’s great for busy parents is that with this procedure, there is no downtime like there would be after surgery.
To check out bariatric procedures, schedule a consultation with a bariatric expert who can help explain the different options available. They will consider things like your weight loss history and current body mass index (BMI).
It can be difficult to stop snacking, but there are ways to avoid it to an unhealthy extent. From meal planning to weight loss capsules, there are a number of options to try for managing your food intake. Hopefully some of these ideas will come in handy for you in your quest to cut out snacking.