It’s 5:30pm, I’ve been stuck in traffic for the past hour, the last time I ate anything was at 12pm, I have driven past at least 3 fast food joints and my tummy is rumbling – I’m feeling SNACKY and all I want is a salty, crunchy and comforting packet of chips. How many of you have experienced the same thing? Snacking is a great opportunity to cram nutrients into our bodies, keep cravings at bay and tide us over until our next meal but it is often used as an opportunity for emotional eating and a quick hunger fix. Now you all know that I advocate for balance in our lives because living with too many restrictions is just unrealistic, so by all means eat that crunchy golden brown perfectly sliced and fried lightly salted chip once in a while as a treat but not as an everyday snack. I know that if I land up indulging in a snack like this I’ll be spiking my blood sugar and overeating on energy dense food that doesn’t provide my body with the nutrition I need to get through my 6pm dance class. In fact by giving into this craving I am actually missing an opportunity to give my body the pick-me-up it needs to make the most out of my training session that day. Healthy snacking can be a brilliant tool for keeping yourself on track, your energy levels up and making the most out of your day. So what is healthy snacking then? I mean the easy part is the eating, right? Healthy snacking means following these guidelines: 1 SNACK ONLY WHEN YOU ARE ACTUALLY HUNGRY We often use food as a means of comfort, this means we tend to eat when we feel sad or stressed or even bored. It is important to listen to your body’s physical hunger cues over the emotional ones. It may be helpful to try and rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is starving and 1 is full. Anything close to the 6 to 8 mark is when it is a good idea to snack. If you feel confused about whether it is real hunger, try having a glass of water first before snacking as often we misinterpret thirst for hunger. 2 A SNACK IS NOT A MEAL Make sure what you eat is actually snack sized and not a meal – snacking is not an excuse to eat extra meals in the day. As a guideline, try to limit your snacking portions to 600kJ or less. That means 4 Provitas with cottage cheese or a serving of fruit like an apple or a banana, not a full plate of food, a packet of chips or a chocolate bar. 3 MAKE IT EASY TO MAKE THE HEALTHY CHOICE The easiest way to stay on track is by making healthy choices as easy for yourself as possible. That comes with planning – make sure you have healthy snacks with you so that you are less tempted to stop over in a drive through or buy a treat from the garage. Prepare to be snackish later in the day when you are packing your food for the day because we all know most of us can’t be trusted to make good choices when the hunger monkey is on our back. Also make sure you pack something healthy that you actually enjoy, that way you will be looking forward to your snack and not thinking of all the other delicious and nasty treats you could be having instead. 4 CHOOSE SNACKS THAT ARE HIGH IN FIBRE AND PROTEIN Fibre and protein keep you fullest for the longest so choosing a snack high in these nutrients is the best option. Also if you’re like me and feel snacky before exercising then it’s the best to consume your protein right before training because your muscles need it to build that lean muscle mass we’re all after. Come join Danielle LIVE at our Diversity Dance Workshop on 1 & 2 December
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AuthorDanielle Gemeliaris has been dancing for half her life and has always been passionate about food, nutrition and the science behind them. The knowledge she gained through her studies, as a dancer and her experience as a health and wellness coach through Herbalife, has made her uniquely qualified to help dancers better understand nutrition and the role it plays in their lives. She hopes to offer the readers of this blog the opportunity to gain a basic working knowledge of nutrition, the role it plays for dancers and learn how to make better more informed food choices in the future. Archives
April 2019
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