5 Ways to Stop Snacking

These simple strategies can help you curb cravings, reduce snacking and keep the weight off

DON'T IMPULSEBUY SNACKS

No stopping at the cake shop for a sugary pastry. No sweets or chocolates from the newsagent on the way to work. This type of compulsive, unhealthy eating causes much weight gain.

TURN TO SOUP FOR COMFORT

When you crave comfort food, heat up a large bowl of soup made with lots of vegetables and beans. It’s flavourful, hearty, high in nutrition and low in fat.

NIBBLE ON SHELLED NUTS The effort to crack the shells and extract the nut without breaking it is highly therapeutic and distracting. In addition, nuts are very healthy snacks – in moderation. Choose walnuts, almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts or hazelnuts. Peanuts and pistachios are too quick to open so you can easily overindulge.

TOSS OUT LOWNUTRITION SNACKS

Do an audit of your refrigerator and pantry and toss the ice cream, sweets, crisps, biscuits, cake and other salty or sugary snacks that you munch on between meals. These are foods we eat compulsively and that make us overweight. Make a conscious decision to only eat these ‘sometime’ foods on special occasions.

BE A FUSSY EATER Parents complain about children who are fussy eaters – but you’re not a child, and you owe it to yourself to be particular about what goes onto (and comes off) your plate. As a rule of thumb, if it doesn’t look good for you, don’t eat it. And take your time: there are ample studies that associate eating quickly with weight gain.