While many people try to avoid snacking and see it as the biggest obstacle to weight loss, there are times when eating between meals can not only be good for you but imperative! It's not snacking that's bad for you, it's what you snack on...
  
The truth about snacking
While many people try to avoid snacking and see it as the biggest obstacle for weight loss, there are times when eating between meals can not only be good for you but imperative!
Hunger is a powerful physiological signal, it is telling you your body needs food and you should respond to it by eating something. Eating between meals for other reasons such as habit, boredom and comfort, however, is a whole different issue that needs to be tackled by identifying motives and behavioural change.
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Healthy snack suggestions
• Wholemeal or fruit scone with jam
• Small bowl of wholegrain breakfast cereal with semi-skimmed milk
• Half sandwich or slice of toast with banana and a little honey
• Handful of rice crackers or a rice cake
• Half a bagel with low-fat cheese spread
• Keep your fruit bowl topped up, but remember to grab a piece everyday, don't watch it rot!
• Handful of dried fruit
• Handful of mixed nuts and raisins
• Small bag of unsalted nuts or seeds
• Carrot, cucumber or celery sticks with 1-2 tbsp. reduced fat hummus
• Breadsticks with low fat spicy salsa
• Chopped melon, pineapple and mango
• Frozen grapes
• Low-fat yoghurt/fromage frais or rice pudding
• Low-calorie hot chocolate mix made with semi-skimmed milk
• Cottage cheese and crackers
• Fruit smoothie made with semi-skimmed milk
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It can be perfectly healthy to snack and needn't impede weight loss, just remember it's not snacking that's bad for you, it's what you snack on. Of course we need to choose our snacks carefully so that they don't contain too much fat, sugar or salt, instead they should provide beneficial nutrients such as calcium, fibre and vitamins.
They should also compliment what you have eaten at a previous meal, for instance, if you have had a bowl of wholegrain cereal and semi-skimmed milk for breakfast, a piece of fruit is a good choice for a snack mid-morning, if you had a slice of toast and a glass of fruit juice, a low fat yoghurt later will better compliment breakfast, and if you had a bowl of natural yoghurt with fresh or dried fruits, a wholemeal scone is a good choice for later.
Snacking and weight loss
When it comes to weight loss, an extra 100 calories here and there may not sound like a big deal. Yet over the course of one year, if you could save yourself this number of calories each day, this would add up to a total saving of 36,500 calories, which equates to a loss of 10lb in weight. Do the opposite and over-eat by 100 calories and it is easy to see how weight gradually creeps on.
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Foods such as crisps, chips, biscuits, chocolate and sweets are common snacks that are high in fat, sugar or salt. They are fine to eat occasionally, but should not be an everyday choice.
Good Snack Choice:
• Fat content is up to 3 grams per 100g
• Sugar content is up to 2 grams per 100g
• Sodium (a component of salt) content is up to 0.1 grams per 100g
Occasional Snack Choice:
• Fat content is 20 grams or more per 100g
• Sugar content is 10 grams or more per 100g
• Sodium (a component of salt) content is 0.5 grams or more per 100g
To keep you on target with your desired weight loss goal, but so you don't feel too deprived, click here for 50 of the best treats and snacks for under 150 calories.
Take the test
We all know that an apple is healthier than a bag of sweets and that rice cakes have fewer calories than chocolate cake, but finding low calorie food can be a pain - especially if there is no nutrition information available. Some apparently lightweight snacks can be surprisingly high in calories. Test your snack knowledge and discover which choices are best to help you drop pounds.
1. You've missed breakfast and your stomach's rumbling. What's the best vending machine choice to tide you over until lunch?
A. Peanuts
B. French Fries crisps
C. Cherry Nutrigrain Bar
2. You've got a major chocolate craving, but which treat hides the most calories?
A. A Mocha Frappuccino
B. A Curly Wurly bar
C. A slice of chocolate cake
3. Which cinema snack has the fewest calories?
A. A large popcorn
B. A jumbo hotdog
C. A bag of pick and mix
4. You're at a barbeque, which boozy beverage should you choose?
A. A margarita
B. A glass of sangria
C. A bottle of lager
5. Which of these has the most calories?
A. A slice of Rasberry Ripple cheese cake
B. A slice of carrot cake
C. Two fig rolls
6. You're treating the kids some fast food. Where is the safest place for you to nibble?
A. Big Mac
B. Whopper
C. Slice of Thin and Crispy Ham pizza
7. Which party nibbles has the fewest calories?
A. Twiglets
B. Mini quiches
C. Chicken wings.
How did you score? click here for the answers.
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