Snacking is an important part of a healthy balanced diet. Think of your metabolism as a fire. To keep a fire alight, you have to put kindling on it. Your metabolism is your internal fire, it needs kindling too. Snacks are the kindling for your metabolism. Depending on your daily calorie intake, snacks should be 100-250 calories each and eaten 2 to 3 times a day.
Good snacks are fresh fruit and vegetables. These are low calorie and make you feel full. If you want to snack higher in protein and healthy oils, add a few nuts. If your vegetarian, not strick vegan, hard boiled eggs are also a good snack.
To ensure you don’t go off your plan, carry snacks with you EVERYWHERE. You never know when you will need a snack, it’s usually 2 or so hours after your last meal. Snacks can be prepared ahead of time and put in Ziploc bags. While you should stick to fresh items as much as possible, you can also find good snack bars at the health food store. I like Larabars, they are just simple ingredients with no added sugar or chemicals. Make sure you read labels. If there is an ingredient you cant read or pronounce, then your body can’t process it, so DON’T eat it. This also goes for anything refined like sugar or syrups. Avoid it when possible.
Here’s an important side note. Don’t worry if you go overboard on the snack, just balance it out on the next snack or don’t eat a second snack. Just log it, move on and make better choices next time. You’re on a journey to a better healthy lifestyle, it should be an enjoyable journey. With that it’s snack time!