Eating Healthy: Snacking Tips for The New Year
Have a resolution to lose weight and/or eat healthier? Adjust your snacking habits.
When a new year is upon us, many people find themselves making resolutions. Still, the key is to have actionable goals and make habits that are likely to last rather than giving into diet culture or focusing on calories alone.
A key principle I learned as a holistic, integrative nutrition health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition is the idea of “crowding out” junk foods and processed foods with more wholesome foods.
If you simply buy less of the junk and processed foods and buy more wholesome foods, simply not having the unhealthier foods available will help you to minimize bad eating and snacking habits. Love ice cream but find that you are binging too much on once cream pints? Choose less sugary, non-dairy options and opt for ice creams that come in smaller pre-packaged portions.
When buying and preparing snacks, try to slowly crowd out junk foods like potato chips and candy bars and instead veer toward whole, unprocessed snacks, such as the following:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables (you can even buy pre-cut and pre-washed fruits and veggies to make this easier). Also, remember that while all foods don’t need to be organic, you should try to stay away from “the dirty dozen” list that are high in pesticides.
- Nuts and seeds — These are great sources of protein for sustained energy. Nuts and seeds not only help with supporting energy levels, but they also support hormone regulation.
- Greek yogurt with berries — Opt for full-fat, low-sugar versions to gain the best benefits of yogurt. Yogurt is good for the probiotics it contains, but if you find that dairy spikes inflammation, opt for non-dairy yogurt.
- Hummus with vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes
- Air-popped popcorn — A classic favorite snack. It’s best to stay away from microwave popcorns that have been found to contain carcinogenic chemicals. Spices like nutritional yeast and simple dressings of butter or olive oil and salt will do just the trick to satisfy a craving.
- Hard-boiled eggs — Eggs are a whole food and contain many nutritional benefits. They are a great on-the-go snack that pack a punch with vitamins and minerals. Opt for pasture-raised eggs for optimal nutritional benefits.
- Whole-grain or gluten-free toast or crackers with avocado. When made at home, this is an inexpensive, nutritious, and filling snack. You can add an egg on it for additional nutrition and to make this a more well-rounded meal.
- Trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Be careful to choose dried fruits without added sugars.
Nutrition and lifestyle are ongoing integral aspects of one’s health. To make resolutions last, focus on the smaller, actionable steps, like replacing unhealthy snacks with some of the healthy options listed above.
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