A snack can be a tricky thing to navigate, especially when you are looking to or actively making changes to your diet. Let’s delve into some things to keep in mind when looking for your next go-to snack.
Overall Calories
Think about a snack as a way to hold your hunger over until the next meal. Depending on your goals or if you are simply following a hunger cue, we want the snack to be roughly 100 calories per hour you are away from eating your next meal. So if you are 2 hours away from a meal, the snack would be 200 calories. While calories aren’t everything, they are a good starting point. Serving size can also be helpful when determining what will fill you up best. So for 200ish calories you might indulge in a small handful of nuts or Greek yogurt with some ranch seasoning and a whole cucumber. You know your body best - choose what you need.
Practicing Portion Control
Sometimes, it's easy to overindulge on a snack, especially when eating straight out of the container or bag. If you’re trying to keep your snack within 200ish calories, try either pre-portioning your snacks into a plastic bag or container or opting for individually packaged snacks like granola bars, nut packs, individual chip bags, or cheese sticks.
Look at the Nutrients
Things like added sodium, protein, fiber, and added sugar will be the top four things to be mindful of when choosing a snack. We want to find something balanced to sustain your energy. While true “snack” items are generally higher in sodium and sugar, we challenge you to get familiar with labels and choose the best option for you.
Ingredients
Some snacks can be simplistic in nature or can be more along the lines of “ultra-processed.” Depending on what you’re looking for, one can go either way. Most of the time, we suggest opting for a snack that is simplistic in nature and that has only a few ingredients. Something like edamame, hard-boiled eggs, trail mix, popcorn with melted cheese, roasted chickpeas, and dried dates with a nut butter would all be simpler foods we’d suggest outside of just a fruit or vegetable.
Drinks
When having a snack, keep in mind that pairing it with a regular soda or sweet tea can up the calories pretty quickly. If you’re looking to watch your calorie intake, try pairing your snack with drinks that are low in sugar or alternatively sweetened, if that’s your preference. Of course, just plain water is always a great option too.