We’ve told you how healthy snacking helps weight loss, and we’ve given you suggestions for healthy snack foods many times over the years. Earlier this year, we even gave you “Your Mid-Winter Healthy Snacking Guide”.
But, even if you eat healthy snack foods, you still might not be helping yourself lose weight. For one thing, too much of any food, healthy or not, can pack on the pounds.
Avoid These 3 Snacking Mistakes
Overeating is just one way that you might not get the weight-loss boost you’re hoping for from healthy snacking. Here are other mistakes you may be making that scuttle your weight loss program.
- Mindless Snacking
You know the feeling. You’re watching a movie or talking on the phone. You open a bag of chips and, before you know it, you can’t find any more chips in the bag. In addition to not consciously tracking how much you’re eating, mindless snacking is problematic because you also miss the cues your body sends to tell you that you are full.
Instead of eating your snacks straight from the bag or box, measure out a healthy portion and put it in a bowl. That way, it’s impossible to overeat. - No Snack Prepping
Just like meal prepping helps you avoid fast-food cravings, snack prepping, where you have healthy snacks wrapped and ready to go, can keep you on track anywhere you have a between-meal hunger pang. And it’s way easier than meal prepping too. A piece of fruit, a container of yogurt or a handful of almonds are all you need to “prep”. - Unbalanced Snacking
A balanced diet extends to your snacking too. You need a mix of macronutrients, including fats, carbohydrates and proteins from your snacks as much as from your regular meals. Unbalanced snacking leads to nutritional gaps that can spur hunger pangs when your body goes looking for what it’s missing.
The nutritional consultants at your nearest Herbal One location can help you develop healthy snacking and eating habits, and long-term weight loss success too.
Want to learn more about good nutrition for weight loss? Check out our recent post “Top 3 Trending Nutrition Myths”.