A Week's Worth of Snacks

Snacking is a tricky subject. In Europe, they stick to 3 meals per day, all composed of wine, cheese, meat, bread and decadent desserts. They do not snack and yet they manage to stay slim. Their food is also grown to be eaten and not shipped, and they take pleasure in their meals, spreading afternoon and evening meals over hours with friends and family.

Here, we eat on the run, in our cars, stopping for fast food, eating while standing up or hurrying between meetings. We need to learn to love our food again, to eat because it's good for us, because we enjoy it, because we want to pay attention to our health.

One of our biggest downfalls is timing. People will "forget" to eat or go six or seven hours between meals. This wreaks havoc on the body and sets us up for failure later in the day. It's incredibly important to eat every 3.5 hours - to keep the blood sugar stabilized and to give the body the fuel that it needs. When we go long hours without food, our bodies kick into fat storage mode (a mechanism we can thank our ancestors for; also a mechanism that we, as a population don't need, because we are rarely without food). Having a mid-morning snack and an afternoon snack should do the trick. These snacks should be relatively low in calories, high in fiber, protein and good, complex carbs. When you think of "snacks," try to steer clear from packaged, processed food. Healthy snacks should be mostly comprised of whole foods. Try and make whole foods the staples of your diets and snack.

Figure out what you crave and when. Do you crave salty or crunchy in the morning and sweet in the afternoon? Look for lower fat popcorn and crunchy veggies, and fruits and dark chocolate to quell a sweet tooth. Have suggestions or favorite snacks? Send them our way!

SUNDAY SNACKS
Mid-morning: 1/4 cup hummus, carrot sticks
Mid-afternoon: tuna and avocado with 1% cottage cheese

MONDAY SNACKS
Mid-morning: 1 granny smith apple, 1 handful roasted and unsalted almonds (around 12)
Mid-afternoon: 1 protein bar (Luna or Mojo)

TUESDAY SNACKS
Mid-morning: grapefruit, string cheese
Mid-afternoon: egg white and spinach muffins (baked in a muffin tin - see post about egg poppers)

WEDNESDAY SNACKS
Mid-morning: protein shake made with whey, water, ice, banana (greek yogurt optional)
Mid-afternoon: 1 chicken breast, 1 oz. cashews

THURSDAY SNACKS
Mid-morning: 1 banana rolled in 1 tbs. frozen dark chocolate chips
Mid-afternoon: healthy trail mix (composed of unsalted nuts, granola, dark chocolate, dried fruit)

FRIDAY SNACKS
Mid-morning: 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, 1 orange
Mid-afternoon: 1 carton greek yogurt topped with chopped walnuts and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

SATURDAY SNACKS
Mid-morning: 1 mini bag smart pop popcorn
Mid-afternoon: chocolate shake (mix 1 scoop whey, organic chocolate milk, ice and a banana in blender)