The Vegetarian's Guide To Mindful Snacking

Do find yourself snacking mindlessly or are you an intentional snacker? Mindless snacking can easily derail your best healthy efforts. There’s no denying that it’s really really hard to curb unnecessary snacking. Sometimes, finding out why you are snacking is just as important as improving what you are snacking on. The Vegetarian’s Guide To Mindful Snacking can help!

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

The Vegetarian’s Guide To Mindful Snacking

Many things can contribute to mindless snacking including working from home, fatigue, environment, pandemic stress (or any stress), and even our own broken hunger cues. We all need snacks in our life. What we don’t need is the long-term implications of wrecking the calorie budget on the accidental oreo binge. Let’s figure out what kind of snacker you are and transform your snacking habits so that you can keep your munching healthy!

Are You TRULY Hungry?

Use a hunger scale (1 is starving and 10 is full). Be honest with yourself and only eat if you are above a 4.

Distract Yourself

When you get the urge to snack, distract yourself. This is what I do! First, drink a glass of water. Second, set a timer on your phone for 3 minutes. Third, do something … anything but eating … wash dishes, answer an email, walk outside. When the timer goes off, use the hunger scale and if you are truly hungry, feed your body what it needs.

Is Your Snacking A Habit?

Have you heard of snack o’clock? Are you looking for food between breakfast + lunch out of habit/routine or does your body actually need food. Monitor your daily routines. Do you need that granola bar or yogurt or muffin at 10am or do you eat it just because you are in between appointments? Next time 10am comes around and you think you want a snack do what I do from the paragraph above. After that, if you have determined you are truly hungry, give your body what it needs. The Vegetarian’s Guide to Mindful Snacking is not a guide to get you to not eat if you are hungry. However, it is intended to guide you away from habits that are not leading you to be your best self.

Don’t Confuse Bored With Hungry

Most of us have broken hunger cues. We confuse anger, sadness, loneliness, or stress for hunger. This is a tough one. My best advice is to pause and figure out the underlying cause. Determine if it is real hunger driving you to look for a snack. Conquering emotional eating is very difficult. Be aware of it and respect it but don’t feed it!

Meal Prep Your Snacks

I have breaking news. The calories in your snacks count in your total daily caloric intake. Yep, it’s true. Now will you start treating your snacks like you treat your meals? Factor in your snacks in your total daily intake. Come on guys, this is the easiest one. If you know your body needs extra food at 3pm to make it through the rest of your day until dinner, plan for it! Prep a healthy snack when you prep your food for the day. Don’t get stuck looking for the unhealthy stuff!

Get More Sleep

So many of us ignore the signals our bodies give us. Even worse, we tend to override those signals. Inadequate sleep causes your hunger hormones (ghrelin + leptin) to become imbalanced giving you the feeling that you are hungry all the time. I don’t know about you but I don’t like feeling like that. Go to bed earlier!

If It’s Not In Your House, It Can’t Make It Into Your Stomach

Do you buy “snack foods”? Stop doing that. Your body doesn’t need “snack foods”, your body needs real food. Eat real food, even if you are eating that food in between meals. Foods labeled for snacking tend to be higher in sodium, fat, calories, and have longer ingredient lists. None of which your body needs. If you know you have a pita chip weakness, stop bringing the giant Costco bag of pita chips into your house. If it’s not in your house, it can’t make it into your stomach!

Your Body NEEDS A Break Between Meals

Emerging research over the last few years has taught us that our bodies need a break from food. If you learn nothing else from The Vegetarian’s Guide To Mindful Snacking, learn this. Autogophy. AKA cell rejuvenation. Give your body the gift of some time to rejuvenate your cells while it isn’t busy digesting food. Yes, there are times we need a snack. At those times, certainly give your body what it needs but remember, your body does not need a constant influx of food. Snack mindfully and allow your body to reduce inflammation and repair your cells.

Food For Thought

Eating an occasional snack is not going to hurt your overall health. Not all snacking is bad! As I always say, food is more than fuel. Sticking to food rules should never get in the way of enjoying good food in the company of good people. On the other hand, habits develop very quickly! If you are constantly reaching for snacks between meals, it is time to reassess what the underlying problem is. Boredom, fatigue, routine, or perhaps you not getting enough nourishment from your main meals. Think before you eat, follow my tips, and eat real food. You will become a mindful snacker in no time!