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Taking regular breaks with a healthy snack is important and helps you have an energetic and productive day. But how do you make sure you don’t reach for unhealthy options? With these 7 tips, healthy snacking becomes easier than ever.
1. Keep the hangry monster at bay!
Go for a balanced breakfast that keeps you full for a long time with enough complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fibers, and never skip breakfast. Of course, you can have your breakfast later in the day if that suits you or your lifestyle better. The same goes for lunch. Take your time to eat mindfully and choose a wholesome, healthy lunch. This way, you avoid big fluctuations and energy dips, so you can calmly choose a healthy snack instead of raiding the vending machine like a ravenous monster.
2. Become aware and change your behavior
We often reach for (usually unhealthy) snacks out of habit. Become aware of this behavior and plan ahead: simply don’t bring unhealthy options into your home, provide plenty of different healthy options so that when hunger strikes, you don’t have to think twice. After about two weeks, you’ll fully get used to your new habits. Make it easier for yourself and just don’t buy unhealthy snacks. What you don’t have, you can’t eat in moments of weakness.
3. Break free from the addictive effect
Refined sugars have an addictive effect. Treat yourself to a sugar detox and let your body literally wean off these sugars. You’ll notice your body craves them less and less, making it easier to make and stick to healthy choices in the long run.4. Hydrate!
Hunger and thirst are often confused. Always make sure your body is well hydrated. Keep your water bottle nearby, making it easier to reach your ideal fluid intake throughout the day. An adult should drink about 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily. Find it hard to drink water all the time? Occasionally vary with unsweetened herbal tea. Or pimp your water bottle with fresh herbs like basil and mint, cucumber slices, lime wedges, pomegranate seeds, … Let your creativity run wild!5. Reward yourself with something other than food
We often see snacking as a reward. We often learned this as children. Think about how often you got a candy in the store for being good. Keep rewarding yourself, but choose a nice walk with the dog, a short moment for yourself with a magazine, a game with colleagues on the Playstation, a game of table tennis, … Choose something that makes you happy and reward yourself with that. Keep snacking and food as the fuel that takes care of your body for a successful day.
6. Place a colorful, appealing fruit basket or a JustBite snack box full of healthy treats
Put it in a visible and easily accessible spot. This way, healthy snacking becomes a no-brainer.
7. Ensure enough rest.
When you’re tired, you’re even more likely to reach for unhealthy comfort food and have less control over your impulses.