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The attract of unhealthy snacks is plain. To snack healthily and keep away from weight achieve, it’s essential to discern whether or not your snacking is pushed by starvation or simply cravings.
Whether it is starvation, maybe your principal meals will not be fulfilling sufficient in amount or vitamin. Reasonably than resorting to snacks, contemplate having a balanced, smaller meal, about half the scale of an everyday meal, incorporating greens and protein.
Cravings, alternatively, require introspection. Decide what precisely is triggering your craving – is it a selected style or simply the sight of others consuming?
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Chips are a preferred snack. Illustration photograph by Freepik |
Recognizing the set off permits you to indulge responsibly. Go for snacks devoid of dangerous components like sugar, refined starches, trans fat, and synthetic sweeteners. For carb-centric snacks, select these constructed from entire grains comparable to oats and quinoa, nutritious nuts, and entire grain cereals.
Wholesome, non-fattening snacks needs to be your go-to. These embody entire grain cereal with milk, boiled edamame, nuts, fruit smoothies, greens, or protein-rich drinks like a whey protein shake.
With fruit and veggies, decide these low in sugar – like cucumbers, oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits – and keep away from high-sugar choices comparable to durian, rambutan, mangoes, and jackfruit. Additionally, restrict starchy greens like beets and potatoes.
Bear in mind, snack parts ought to solely be as a lot as you possibly can maintain in your palm.
There are two best occasions for snacking with out affecting weight reduction: proper after a principal meal and earlier than train. A small, dessert-type snack publish a vegetable-rich balanced meal can reduce unfavorable impacts. In the meantime, snacking earlier than train wards off starvation and the chance of low blood sugar.
Dr. Phan Thai Tan
HomeFiT’s Vitamin Coach