HOW TO HAVE A BALANCED DIET WHILE SNACKING

THE following tips may help you maintain a healthy, balanced diet when snacking:

• Watch the amount of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugars in your snacks, as well as calorie content.

• Replace snacks high in saturated fat, salt and/ or sugars, with healthier snacks, in your kitchen cupboards or desk drawer — if the snacks are there, it is all too easy to eat them. Not having these snacks within reach at home and at work may help you select something healthier.

• Portion control — to help maintain a healthy, balanced diet, consider the portion size of your snack (particularly if it is high in fat, saturated fat, salt and/or sugars). If you occasionally choose chocolate, crisps or biscuits try to split and pack a small portion. Remember you can eat larger portions of fruit and vegetable as a snack!

• Listen to hunger cues — before you reach out to snack out of boredom, consider whether you are actually hungry. Although the research is limited, it has been suggested that listening carefully to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, rather than, for example, eating in response to your emotions, may help avoid overeating.

• Number of snacks — keep an eye on the number of snacks you are eating during the day. If you are snacking several times a day, think about the meals you are eating and when. Aim for three regular meals per day.

• Plan ahead — if you tend to need a mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon snack to satisfy your hunger until the next meal then planning ahead may help you to make sure these snacks are healthy and that overall your diet is well balanced.

• Avoid shopping when hungry — there is some research suggesting that if you are hungry, you may be more likely to select less healthy snacks.