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Many people live on snacks; they energize themselves throughout the day on
minimeals. For example, Jan, a teacher, part-time graduate student, and
swimmer, typically:
- swims early in the morning,
- grabs something for breakfast on her way to work,
- has a hectic day at school with little time to eat,
- energizes on emergency food filed in her desk drawer,
- lifts weights at the health club before night school,
- picks up dinner on the way to classes or munches whatever is around, and
- eats a “real meal” once a week: Sunday dinner with her family.
Jan’s eating patterns are common to many Americans. Surveys suggest that snacks
can contribute from 20 to 50% of daily calories. Because snacking and grazing
are replacing the traditional three well-balanced meals, it’s important that
healthy choices become the backbone of a snacker’s diet. The same way that a
car needs gasoline and spark plugs to function, your body needs calories and
the vitamins, minerals, and proteins found in wholesome foods.
Wise snack choices include many nutritious and conveniently available items. Jan
did a super job of balancing her nutrient intake, despite her hectic schedule and
lack of normal meals. Her choices often looked like this:
- Breakfast: Pumpernickel bagel and yogurt
- Lunch at school: Thick crust pizza with green peppers
- Munchies: Peanut butter, crackers, V-8 juice
- Take-out dinner: Chinese stir-fry chicken with vegetables and steamed rice
- Hot dinner at home: Tomato soup and toasted low-fat cheese sandwich
- Cold dinner at home: Cereal with a tall glass of orange juice (the breakfast she missed)
Ideas
Here are other ideas for snacks at home and on the road:
- Dry cereal. Mix it with raisins, dried fruit, cinnamon or nothing! Good
cereal includes Chex, shredded miniwheats, Cheerios, Life, corn bran and Oat
Squares.
- Popcorn. Eat plain or sprinkled with spices such as chili powder, garlic
powder, onion powder, or soy sauce. If you like, spray with low-calorie
butter-flavor sprays so the spices stick.
- Pretzels. Knock off the salt or buy salt-free if you need to reduce
salt intake.
- Crackers. Stoned wheat, sesame, bran, RyKrisp and other reduced-fat or
fat-free brands.
- Muffins. Homemade with little fat are best. If store-bought, wholesome bran
or corn are better than those made with white flour.
- Bagels. Whole grain varieties provide more vitamins and minerals than do bagels
made with white flour.
- Fruits. Choose oranges, bananas, apples, or any fresh fruit. Pack dried fruit
when traveling for concentrated carbohydrates.
- Frozen fruit bars. You can slowly savor these pleasant treats in good health.
- Yogurt. Low-fat or fat-free are best. Buy quarts of plain yogurt to save money
and flavor it with vanilla, honey, cinnamon, instant decaffeinated coffee, etc.
- Sports bars, breakfast bars, low-fat granola bars. Prewrapped and portable,
these travel well in pockets and gym bags.
- Nuts, seeds. Peanuts, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,
and other nuts and seeds are excellent for protein, B vitamins, and vitamin E.
Because they are high in (healthful) fat, balance them with carbohydrate-rich meals
and snacks.
- Baked potatoes. Microwave ovens make these a handy snack. They’re tasty warm
and cold, and because of their high glycemic effect, they are excellent for refueling
your muscles after a hard workout. Try sweet potatoes with a dash of nutmeg—mmm!
Snack Attacks
I always plan for an afternoon snack to boost my energy. This helps me concentrate
better by maintaining my blood sugar level; it also takes the edge off my appetite
and fuels me for my afterwork bike commute. I put the snack along with lunch and take
the time to eat it.
Not snacking can be a bad practice. You can get too hungry and later overeat. I’ve
learned that if I don’t snack on four crackers at the office, I can very easily eat
20 crackers the minute I get home from work!
Snacks prevent not only hunger sensations but also sweets cravings. Snack attacks—not
snacks per se—are the nutritional concern. Many athletes think they are hopelessly,
and helplessly, addicted to sugary snacks. I believe they are not addicted and that
they can change their behavior. In fact, I’ve helped many clients resolve their
problematic sweets cravings easily and painlessly. The solution is simple: Eat before
you get too hungry. When you are ravenous, you tend to crave sweets and overeat.
Snacking on healthy foods is the answer.
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