9 Ways To Beat A Snack Attack
By Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E., Lifescript Nutrition Expert
Published January 13, 2011
Between-meal eating isn’t necessarily a diet no-no. In fact, smart snacking can help you lose weight and control cravings. Here are 9 nutritionist-approved strategies for when the munchies hit...
It’s 3 p.m. and you’re hungry. Lunch was hours ago; dinner seems a long way off.
It’s the perfect time for a snack – and you don’t have to feel guilty about it – as long as you grab a smart nibble, not just anything from the lunchroom vending machine.
“Planned snacking holds you over between meals, provides a structured daily eating plan and creates an opportunity to provide good nutrients,” says Jaime Schwartz, M.S., R.D., a New York-based registered dietitian who works in public relations for food companies and associations.
Small snacks of 100-250 calories can keep you going through the day and prevent you from overeating at meals. They can even help control weight.
Here are 9 nutritionist-approved tactics for surviving a snack attack:
1. When a midafternoon slump hits
This isn’t the time to grab a cupcake from the bakery next door. Instead, “shoot for a protein and carbohydrate combo” for long-lasting energy, says Rosanne Rust, R.D., author of The Calorie Counter for Dummies (For Dummies).
High-quality carbs will give you energy for the rest of the afternoon and protein will hold you until dinnertime.
Dietitians’ Picks: Celery and peanut butter or 1 ounce reduced-fat cheese and a small pear.
If your energy is really flagging, try almonds with a cup of coffee and skim milk, suggests Chicago-based registered dietitian Sandy Sfikas.
Coffee is loaded with antioxidants, despite its bad rap, and is linked to lower rates of diabetes and heart disease. The almonds have crunch, protein and fat – the perfect recipe to satisfy hunger, she says.
2. When the vending machine is your only option
You still have smart-snacking choices from a vending machine: Pick fresh or canned fruit or low-fat yogurt, if available. If not, go for one of these better, but not ideal, options.
Dietitians' Picks:
* York Peppermint Patty: With only 140 calories and 1.5 grams saturated fat, this beats most candy bars.
* SunChips: A source of whole grain, 2 grams of fiber and a mere 5% daily sodium value, packed into 140 calories.
* Peanuts or almonds: All natural with good-for-you fats.
* Fig Newtons: Yes, they’re a cookie, but they have a couple grams of fiber.
What to Avoid:
* Pop Tarts: Basically a highly processed cookie with few vitamins and 400 calories for a 2-pack.
* Twix: 11 grams of saturated fat you don’t want or need.
* Combos Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Snacks: 240 calories with a quarter of your daily saturated fat limit and a third of your sodium limit.
* Keebler Vanilla Sugar Wafers: A 390-calorie sugar-fest with nearly a quarter of your daily saturated fat limit.
* Cheese crackers with peanut butter: Artificially colored, highly processed and 340 milligrams sodium all wrapped up in 220 calories.
3. When you’re craving salty snacks
Most Americans get more than the recommended 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, so you don’t want a snack that will add too much to your daily tally (2,300 mg is the upper limit).
The key to enjoying salty snacks? Planning and portion control, Schwartz says. Snacks like chips and crackers are salted on the outside, so they’ll give your taste buds a powerful hit. You won't have to eat a lot to satisfy your craving.
Dietitians’ Picks: Munch a 1-ounce portion of potato chips, suggests Schwartz; they have the same sodium amount as a slice of bread.
Regular chips pack about 180 milligrams (mg) sodium per ounce, but lower-salt varieties like Frito-Lays’ Pinch of Salt have only 75 mg.
Choose baked chips and save about 30 calories per serving. Another option:
Enjoy a cup of lightly salted edamame (immature green soybeans), which also offer protein, fiber, vitamin C and some calcium. Available in the grocery store’s freezer section, you can buy them uncooked and microwave before eating. Or, buy pre-cooked edamame, thaw and sprinkle with salt.
4. When you’re craving sweet treats
Are you jonesing for a sugary treat right now? Give in!
Yielding to sweet cravings can be a smart diet strategy, says Jennifer Neily, R.D., a private-practice dietitian in Dallas.
If you resist and eat things you don’t want, you'll feel deprived. Besides, you’ll end up giving in anyway, she explains.
But if you savor sweet indulgences in reasonable portions, you probably won’t overindulge later in the day.
“Eat slowly, and enjoy the heck out of it,” Neily says.
Dietitians’ Picks: Dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao is Sfikas’ choice. It’s sweet, indulgently yummy and has a few health benefits too. Just a little bit – less than an ounce – can lower blood pressure and might even improve cholesterol levels, she explains.
But don’t go overboard: An ounce weighs in at about 150 calories.
“With dark chocolate, a little goes a long way,” Sfikas says.
For extra nutrition, think dried fruit.
Dried mangoes (without sugar-coating) “tastes like I’m eating candy,” says sports dietitian Deb Iovoli of Rochester, N.Y.
For a snack on the go, stash Sunsweet Ones, individually wrapped and deliciously sweet California prunes, in your purse. Pop four for only 100 calories and a bonus of 3 grams of fiber.
Another nutritious sweet snack solution: Vitalicious VitaTops muffin tops, in chocolate, raisin bran or banana nut flavors, are pre-portioned, all-natural 100-calorie treats with whole grains, at least 4 grams of tummy-filling fiber and 15 vitamins and minerals. They’re individually frozen, so drop one in your bag on your way out the door. It’ll be thawed at snack time.
5. Before your workout
Skip the snack if you’ve eaten in the last couple of hours and won’t be exercising for more than 60 minutes, Iovoli says. Otherwise, fuel your muscles with some healthy carbohydrates.
Dietitians’ Picks: Try a small box of raisins, a low-fat granola bar, a cup of low-fat yogurt or small piece of fruit, she suggests. They’re nutritious and have carbs to fuel your workout.
6. After your workout
“If you’re not doing a killer workout, don’t worry about rapidly refueling,” explains Massachusetts-based Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook.
If weight loss is your goal, end your exercise just before a meal to avoid the extra calories of a recovery snack. Whether it’s a snack or meal, eat “some carbs to refuel muscles with a little protein to repair and build muscles,” she says.
Dietitians’ Picks: Graham crackers with peanut butter or yogurt sprinkled with whole-grain cereal are satisfying protein-carb combos, Clark says.
Or a simple cup of low-fat chocolate milk will do the trick. So will hummus with whole-grain crackers.
Again, be careful not to “refuel” so much that you undo your calorie-burn at the gym; 200 calories is the limit.
7. When you’re dieting
If you’re trying to lose weight, smart snacking can help keep pounds off.
It'll keep you from overeating at mealtime, Sfikas says.
The key is to have something healthy on hand, so you don’t get tempted by the cookie monster.
Dietitians’ Picks: “Pistachios are the skinny nut because they’re a good source of fiber and protein,” Neily says.
And because the shells slow you down, giving your body time to feel full.
As you’re snacking, keep the shells in front of you: “They act as a visual cue, fooling you into feeling full,” she adds. Eat 30 pistachios for just 100 calories.
Or drink your snack – and we don’t mean a cosmo or thin, watery drinks like sodas and fruit juices. They aren't filling and are loaded with sugar.
But that’s not true for vegetable juice. Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine found that overweight men and women who drank one to two cups of low-sodium vegetable juice a day as part of a balanced diet increased their vegetable intake and lost an average of four pounds over the 12-week study period. Those who didn’t lost only one pound.
8. When you have dinnertime munchies
Do you sample the stew while you cook it? You might be consuming the equivalent of a meal before even sitting down to dinner.
Instead, nibble wisely to dampen hunger and boost your nutrient intake, says Rhode Island pediatric dietitian Katie Mulligan, M.S., R.D.
Dietitians’ Picks: The crunch of baby carrots keeps your jaw busy while slicing and stirring, Mulligan says. They pack a hefty nutritional punch too; one cup gives you more than a day’s supply of vitamin A and 3.5 grams of hunger-quelling fiber.
Even better than carrots? A variety of raw, crunchy vegetables. Make a big salad for dinner, tasting each fresh veggie as you cut it up.
9. When you’re going to a party
Have a small snack to take the edge off your appetite before a party so you’re less likely to overeat during the festivities, says Iovoli, the sports dietitian.
Dietitians’ Picks: Nibble a big piece of fruit or some cut-up veggies en route. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally rich in water and fiber, which quiet a rumbling tummy.
Lifescript Nutrition Expert Jill Weisenberger is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator.
MY THOUGHTS
Snacking is really something that we should plan for. The best is to bring your own healthy snacks to work. In a country of sweet, native rice cakes and bananas dipped in sugar, you'll be packing in unwanted calories during snack time.
