STAY SNACCIDENT PROOF
How to snack mindfully and set your best eating intentions
At first glance, it’s been going so well. You’re doing lots of walking, a weekly Zumba class and eating three healthy meals a day. OK, so there was also that muffin you had with the girls at coffee, plus the afternoon Tim Tam and the chocolate bar you shared with your hubby after dinner. Yep, let’s face it, you’re snaccident prone.
Amazingly, some studies suggest we’ve quadrupled our snack consumption in as little as 10 years. Forget that apple you used to have at little lunch as a kid – these days there’s an entire industry of grab-and-go treats lining the supermarket shelves.
While many of them claim to be healthy (or at the very least healthy-ish) it’s definitely sending some mixed messages. After all, didn’t our parents always tell us not to eat between meals? Ultimately the key issue may not be so much about whether you’re snacking, but how much and what kind of eating choices you’re making.
Things like fresh fruit and vegies with hummus are often healthier (and cheaper). So consider preparing some to nibble on throughout the day at work to avoid making impulse buys at the vending machine.
A little bit of preparation can also go a long way. Try cutting up some vegies to put in plastic containers that you can grab and go when you need. You can also bulk buy nuts and split them into smaller portions.
As the weather warms up coming into spring and summer, another healthy alternative to sugary drinks or ice blocks is to pop some red grapes in the freezer!