Institut Bicher

THE ABCs oF hEALTHY sNACKING

By Anais A.

Watch our video to learn how to lose weight sustainably

Starving yourself doesn't result in anything good for you or your body
The right snacks can even help you lose weight

When 4:00 p.m. rolls around, so does your snack craving. But avoiding snacks at all costs and thinking that by doing so you're doing the right thing, is not the best option to help you in your journey to lose weight. Deprivation is often synonymous with compensation.

click here to learn why restricting yourself actually leads you to gaining more weight

What happens when you don't allow yourself a snack? An hour later, you'll have a huge piece of chocolate cake, a whole sleeve of cookies or an entire bag of chips. Or even worse, you'll overcompensate at dinner, by eating a bigger portion of food than normal.

Nevertheless, a snack is a mini meal. Abuse or deviations of your daily snack time should be avoided if you want to get all the benefits out of it. So forget the chocolate bar, the too-rich slice of pie, or the giant cookies. Too much sugar is bad for your body and it promotes the storage of superfluous fat. Moreover, once you eat something sugary, you'll want to keep eating more sugar. You won't be satisfied with a just one small piece of chocolate or candy and it will become a cycle that will be hard to break.

The goal here is not to deprive yourself, but to continue eating in a healthy and balanced way. To pick the right snack, it's important to follow a few rules so as not to confuse snacking and eating for the sake of eating. Below are the musts for healthy snacks that you can eat every day :

Snack at the same time every day

When you skip eating snack, your hunger level tends to increase, making it easier to overcompensate later.

Prioritize fruit

Fruits can help you with your craving for sweets thanks to fructose, vitamins, fiber and minerals.

Nuts and seeds are your friends

Almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, cashews, or pecans. With just one handful you're full of both fiber and essential fatty acids. Moreover, they make you feel fuller with smaller portions. But be careful, one or two small handfuls per day are enough.

Consider having herbal tea to go along with your snack

We are definitely more used to having our hot drinks in the morning. But in Asia, it's common to sip tea all day long and "tea time" is sacred in the UK. And this is not without good reason. Hot drinks are an ally for healthy digestion. White tea or vanilla rooibos tea are both good options at 4 p.m.

Don't exceed 150 calories

To keep the number of calories in your snack from adding up in your total calories for the day.

Say no to sugary drinks

Not only are they not very filling, but they provide little to no nutrients.

Opt for a plain yogurt or a small serving of cottage cheese

The ferments present in these products help your body to better digest lactose. However, limit your intake of dairy products to once or twice a week. Calcium from plant sources is better absorbed by the body.