As I have mentioned before, my guys are really active. Now that the older ones are home for the summer, I am finding that if food is not labelled (eat and you will die), nailed down or hidden in the basement – it is gone in a poof!
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that they are home and I love that they have great appetites but sometimes it seems like we are forever out of food.
CAN YOU RELATE??
One solution to this never-ending hunger and snacking is to POWER UP their snacks. The best way to do this is to follow this simple snack formula.
CARBOHYDRATE +PROTEIN or FAT = POWER SNACK
Simply snacking on carbohydrates alone can lead to endless hunger. Our bodies are designed to burn carbs first and fast and eating them alone can lead to endless grazing. For example, how easy is it to continually go back for handfuls of pretzels or crackers?
Been there/Done that – Right?
The solution is to POWER UP a snack with PROTEIN and or HEALTHY FAT.
Protein keeps us full longer and including it to a snack can be a game changer.
If I had a penny for every person that told me apples (carbohydrates) made them hungry I would be one rich dietitian! Don’t get me wrong, apples are super healthy but they are carbohydrates and we burn them quickly. The simple act of smearing peanut butter (protein/fat) on the apple will keep you full longer. Try it – it works.
SNACK EQUATION
CARBOHYDRATES: Cereal, whole grain crackers, bread, bagels or rice cakes, pasta, fruit, veggies, muffins, pretzels, dried fruit.
PROTEIN: Milk, chocolate milk, cheese, peanut butter, almond butter, nuts, seeds, meat/deli meat, all natural beef jerky, cottage cheese, humus, beans, eggs and yogurt (greek yogurt is higher in protein)
FAT: Avocados, guacamole, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, full fat dairy items, meat and eggs. (Many protein foods also contain fat and overlap the groups)
HEALTHY SNACKING IS NOT JUST FOR KIDS
Selecting foods from the different food groups will POWER UP the snack and keep you and your kids full longer!
I have pulled together a bunch of quick and easy snack ideas and will be posting them on the blog in a couple of days.
Research indicates that 20-25% of our daily intake comes from snack.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SNACK!
Have a great weekend and be sure to check back for my new and improved snack list!