5 Snack Habits for Healthy Weight Loss

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Snacking has gotten a bad rap over the years (mostly because of the unhealthy foods that people choose to snack on), with the result that many people who are dieting will shy away from the prospect of eating between meals. However, if you snack in a healthy way, this can actually make dieting easier and cut down on overeating at meals due to being ravenously hungry by the time you get to the table. Read below to find out more about these healthy snacking tips that will help you shed those unwanted pounds.

Eat When You’re Hungry

This sounds obvious, but when people are dieting, they tend to follow rules like no snacking after dinner or only snacking in the morning. It is better to listen to your body and simply snack when you are hungry. It is also good to listen and make sure to NOT snack if you are not really hungry – many people will simply eat out of boredom or when they are stressed or simply because everyone around them is. Figuring out when you really are hungry is a great way to starting developing healthy habits that will help you lose weight.

Stay Around 200 Calories

Those little 100-calorie snack packs are really popular nowadays, but studies have shown that a snack which is around 200 calories is actually better. Why? This caloric amount seems better able to keep you from getting hungry before mealtimes and also helps to keep your blood sugar on an even keel, which is much healthier for your body, as well as maintaining a good energy level.

Keep an Eye on the Time

A recent study by the American Dietetic Association shows that those who snack in the middle of the morning tend to snack more throughout the day than do those who snack in the afternoon. In addition, afternoon snackers also tend to make healthier choices and snack on fruits and vegetables. So if you get hungry mid-morning and feel like you really do need a little something to tide you over, be sure to at least make it a healthy one!

Color Code Your Food

The University of Pennsylvania, working with Cornell, recently conducted an experiment where they offered one test group a bowl of all-yellow corn chips and another a bowl of multi-colored corn chips arranged in layers. The group with the multicolored chips consistently ate more, so be sure to snack on something that it all one color, like a couple of hard-boiled eggs or a bowl of cherries.

Use the Non-dominant Hand

This may sound strange, but when you are snacking, use your non-dominant hand to do this; in other words, if you are a leftie, then snack with your right hand and vice versa. You will wind up snacking less. Researchers believe that this might be due to the fact that using your non-dominant hand and have to think more about what you are doing, which lowers your chances of snacking mindlessly.

Some of these tips might sound odd, but they can set you up for habits of healthy snacking that will help you lose weight in a natural way and help you to maintain your desired weight once you have achieved it.

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Samriti
Samriti has written a number of articles and blog posts for websites and print in the health industry. The majority of this writing was related to cancer information, blood pressure and healthy living.