Losing Weight - Redirecting Your Snacking Habit

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Losing Weight - Redirecting Your Snacking Habit

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Take on some smart snacking tactics - like the ones

highlighted here - for six weeks to kick-start a lifelong

habit of healthy eating and feeling great.

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Distribution Date and Time: 2010-01-26 10:30:00

Written By: Larry Tobin

Copyright: 2010

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Losing Weight - Redirecting Your Snacking Habit

Copyright © 2010 Larry Tobin

Habit Changer

http://www.HabitChanger.com/

Snacking is a pretty natural impulse. While we may be accustomed

to three meals a day as a standard practice, our body is actually

functioning nonstop. It will process food whenever it's put into

the system, and it uses up energy without ceasing. Even when

you're asleep, your brain is drawing on your body's energy

reserves.

So it really shouldn't be a surprise that we find ourselves

hungry between our regularly scheduled meals. Instead of

providing a steady, reasonable supply of nutrients for our system

to constantly work on, we often cram it with large doses that it

has to work overtime to process at three intervals. The result

typically is highs and lows of sugar and energy, and we get snack

cravings.

When integrated into a larger proper diet, snacking is not a bad

thing and actually can be quite healthy. Snacks help even out

those crash periods between meals, allowing your body to function

more steadily. The key is that we often choose to snack on

unhealthy foods heavy in sugars and calories, but low on overall

nutrients. By making a few simple changes, you can turn your

snacks into an ally rather than a hindrance.

Take on some smart snacking tactics - like the ones highlighted

here - for six weeks to kick-start a lifelong habit of healthy

eating and feeling great.

Snack Habit #1 - A Healthy Sandwich

The first snack you should consider is a whole grain sandwich.

The contents are up to you, but there are a few simple

guidelines. Meats should be low in fat, such as turkey or chicken

breast. Lettuce is great filler, as are sliced green or red

peppers. Go easy on the condiments, as these can sneak

carbohydrates into your system without your realizing it.

The fiber in whole grain breads helps slow digestion and promotes

fullness, meaning you won't get hungry as often. The

carbohydrates in the bread will give you an energy pickup as

well, keeping you alert and ready for your day.

This is a very easy habit to get into, requiring only a few

minutes each day. Make your sandwich for the next day every

night, and cut it in half so you can enjoy it at two different

snack times. Put it somewhere you'll remember to grab it, and

you're ready to go. Definitely go for some variety as well.

There are many sandwich recipes out there, and part of

successfully adopting new habits is making sure they're fun and

interesting for you, as well as beneficial.

As for people who cannot process wheat flour, consider breads

made with almond flour. This is a delicious gluten-free flour

that won't interfere with your wheat allergies, and still let

you take advantage of a snack sandwich.

Snack Habit #2 - Go a Little Nuts

Another great snack to focus on is a serving of healthy nuts.

Nuts tend to be high in fat content, meaning they're an easy

source of quick energy when you're feeling a bit of a slump.

These fats are also usually mono-unsaturated fats, which are

'good' fats responsible for lowering LDL cholesterol levels.

This means a small handful of nuts between your bigger meals can

quell sugar cravings while keeping you healthy.

Hazelnuts, almonds, and peanuts are very nutrient-rich snacks,

and are easily available. Getting into a nutty habit is also

really easy. Just pack a few small bags of nuts at the beginning

of your week, and bring them with you on your daily tasks. Try to

focus on low salt varieties of course, for the sake of preventing

high blood pressure.

Snack Habit #3 - The Sugar YoYo and Yogurt

Sometimes all your body wants and needs is a quick sugar boost,

and only sugar is going to help it. However your source of sugar

doesn't have to be a highly processed candy bar or can of soda.

At the beginning of your week, buy a few cups of yogurt in

flavors you like. Yogurt is high in pro-biotics that promote

digestive health, as well as other important nutrients based on

the fruit content in the cup. If your body starts to crash,

having a handy pick me up like a yogurt cup means you can snack

quickly and get yourself back on track.

One word of caution: Many yogurts can be high in sugar and sugar

syrups such as high fructose corn syrup. This is less ideal than

if the sugar comes from the fruit itself. Check the list of

ingredients, and if corn syrup or sugar is in the first three

ingredients, pass it up.

Snack Habit #4 - Snack Pack

The key to forming good habits is making sure they're practical.

If you try to make healthy snacks, but they keep spoiling or

getting too warm to be palatable, you're probably going to give

up before making it a habit. Consider buying yourself a small

cooler or insulated bag to pack your snacks in. This will help

keep everything at an even temperature, making the snacks crisp

and tasty enough to enjoy, as well as storing them in a

convenient place.

You probably didn't expect to be encouraged to keep snacking,

did you? Actually one of the best ways to build a healthy

lifestyle is to take the habits you already have, such as

snacking, and turn them in healthier directions. This empowers

you to easily adopt positive habits that fit within your life

instead of allowing bad habits to takeover. Consider trying out

these steps for six weeks, and the results will speak for

themselves.

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Larry Tobin is the co-creator of

http://www.HabitChanger.com/ offering effective

and empowering solutions for losing weight.

Try our 42-day weight loss program at:

http://www.habitchanger.com/losingweight