7 Snacks for #HungerPains
Do you ever find yourself absolutely starving or feeling famished around
3:00 - 4:00 in the afternoon with dreadful #HungerPains?
If you’re hungry in the afternoon, but feeling like you should wait to eat at dinner, don't put it off! It's your body telling you that you need a little something to get you through the afternoon, and I don’t mean a soda or candy bar from the vending machine, but some real food!
Know this: Your body likes to eat at least every 3-4 hours.
So, if you’re thinking dinner is just around the corner at 5 or 6 pm, but you ate at 12 or 1 pm, you could be going 5, 6 or even 7 hours without real food. That’s a LONG time…Plus, if you plan to exercise after work, you’ll definitely need some energy to get you through your workout. If you’re prone to munch while cooking dinner, these 7 snacks can help control that intense hunger when you walk through the door.
A snack should be like a mini-meal with “good carbohydrates” (aka Fiber) along with a little protein and/or healthy fat. Anywhere from 100-400 Calories, depending on what you’re doing after you eat, and how much you need to eat throughout the day.
Helpful Tip:
Bring snacks to work each day, or keep some there so you’re always prepared!
*I help personalize this for clients. Together we discover and decide on appropriate snacks for their body and day, and then personalize shopping lists.
Here are 7 snack ideas to get you started:
1) 2-4 tbsp of Hummus, or Toby’s Lite Tofu Pate (tastes like egg salad, really!)
Toby’s can be found in the natural food section of most Oregon grocery stores.
Try it with baked whole grain crackers or vegetables.
2) A piece of fruit with 10-30 of your favorite nuts
Nuts are so good for you, just buy them without added oil & buy organic fruit when possible.
3) Water packed tuna with vegetables or whole grain crackers
4) Nonfat/low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, w/ fruit, and/or 15 almonds, or 2 Tbs avocado + salsa. (Trust me on the salsa part!)
5) Small bowl of whole grain cereal with fruit, chia & hemp seeds
(Chia adds fiber, hemp adds protein. Options = flaxseed meal and/or your favorite alternative milk).
6) ½ Sandwich with fruit
Try peanut butter and honey, turkey and avocado, or vegetable and hummus.
7) A smoothie with fruit, protein powder, and SuperFoods
(Just be sure to keep it snack size).
Bottom Line:
Think “real” food when it comes to snacks and plan ahead for the day to successfully curb those afternoon #HungerPains!!
I look forward to working TOGETHER, toward your optimum health!
Provided by Lila Ojeda, MS, RDN, CSCS, RYT, CLT Registered Dietitian Nutritionist * Personal Trainer * Yoga/Pilates Contact: 503.789.9707 * www.LO-Solutions.com LO Solutions: Improving Lives Since 2000!
