Sure, a lot of people resolve to eat better every New Year’s, but sometimes it’s tough to keep up with them when you get back into your hectic daily schedule. We feel you. We’ve come up with just a few easy tips and tricks to remember to help you snack smarter this year without driving yourself crazy.
1. Make Time for Breakfast
There will be days in 2016 when waking up is hard to do. Especially for kids. There always are. But skipping breakfast for whatever reason is basically guaranteed to make you hungry way before lunch. Being hungry is pretty distracting, which means the kids are way more likely to suffer at school. For the grown-ups it means you’re way more likely to grab something not-so-good for you just to get a kick of energy.
2. Don’t Wait Until You Get Home From The Gym To Eat
The time you’ll burn the most calories after working out is within the first hour, because your energy levels are at their lowest and your muscles are trying to heal from the strain. Now, that doesn’t mean you can go out and have a piece of cheesecake and it won’t count. But waiting hours after a workout simply because you’re tired or have errands to run won’t do you any favors. Pack a high-energy snack like nuts or a snack bar in your gym bag.
3. Mix It Up
Don’t eat the same snack every day. I get it, it’s easy. You’re used to it. You like it. For now. You’ll get sick of it, and before you know it you’ll be scarfing down those brownies someone made for your coworker’s birthday like no tomorrow.
4. Already Looking Ahead To Dinner? Time For A Snack
Eating something about every three hours (including meals) might sound like a lot, but there are plenty of benefits both physically and psychologically. Snacking means you’ll eat less at mealtimes and be less likely to get too full. And that will train your stomach to get smaller, so over time you’ll feel less of a need to eat as much. Plus, eating more constantly prevents that post-meal sleepiness.
5. A Treat Every So Often Is Really Okay
Too much sugar is bad for you. Too much fat is bad for you. We all know this. And this time of year is when people are really tempted to cut those kind of things out altogether. It never works out, right? Sometimes your day sucks, and sometimes you just need a little treat to help get you through. And that’s okay. So if you really want to have a donut on Tuesday morning instead of the wheat toast? Everyone understands.
6. Stay Seasonal
The reasoning behind eating local food isn’t just because it tastes better and is better for the environment - although both of those are true. When food is in season, it’s at the peak of its nutrition. That’s part of why food in season tastes so good. When food gets packed up and frozen or dried to get stuffed into freezers for the next six months, it loses a lot of its nutrition. So when in doubt? Eat in season.
7. Leave The Planning To Someone Else!
The actual question of “what to have for a snack?” can get tough to answer, even when factoring in all these things. What do you have time for? What are you craving? What fits into whatever health plan you’re on? Luckily Love With Food is here to help. Our snack boxes are all-natural, organic or junk-free, with nothing artificial and enough variety to keep your tummy happy all month - even when you’re craving that treat.
How are you planning to snack smart in the New Year? Tell us in the comments!
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Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.