I’m pretty sure all of us have fallen into the trap of mindless snacking. It’s one of the biggest road blocks in achieving our goals. We get home from a long day of work, our stomachs grumbling, but our feet are tired and so our minds. Instead of whipping up a snack, we go into the fridge or pantry and just mindlessly stuff our gobs until we somehow feel full. But usually we go past the point of being full, to where the point of not eating a good dinner because of that. And what does that lead to? MORE mindless snacking after “dinner.” If you can’t tell, this is a bad cycle. So how do we stop it?
Fruit protein smoothies: stopping mindless snacking since its creation
Snack with a purpose. I can’t emphasize this enough so I’m writing a whole post about it. This is the best defense against the mindless zombie eating that can plague us all. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “oh, I’ll just snack on a few crackers while I think of a food plan—oops there goes the entire package.” I can’t count the number of times I’ve done this (yikes), but I’ve learned now, how to beat that back with a stick. A well-planned and satisfying stick.
Popcorn, cheese & crackers,
What exactly is snacking with a purpose? It’s the opposite of mindless eating and I can’t tell you how much more satisfying it is than just stuffing your face. If you snack with a purpose, you have a plan. A plan to satisfy your hunger without going overboard and getting some nutrients to boot! It may take a LITTLE more time (and I mean little), but that is also a way that makes it that much more satisfying. Just like growing your own vegetables, when you snack with a purpose, you feel good.
Egg on top of avocado
Snacking with a purpose means you don’t go straight for the chip bag. Instead, you have something in mind for a snack. Yesterday, I was craving something cold and refreshing. I wanted to go grab an iced mocha latte or something, but didn’t want to spend money and drink a bunch of sugar. So I bit the bullet, went home, had some chocolate milk beside a Van’s waffle topped with greek yogurt. Perfect snack for after work or after school. You have some sugar in the waffle and milk to pick you up, the protein in the greek yogurt to keep you going, and the cold chocolate milk to refresh you. It’s well-rounded, simple, and took less than 5 minutes to make.
A little more extravagant version of my example
Starting to get it now? Snacking with a purpose means sitting down and eating something to keep that body and mind of yours going. It means slowing down for 10-15 minutes, making yourself some cheese, apples, and crackers or popcorn or an egg on toast to satisfy hunger and give the body what it needs. And the mind. You think your mind is happy when you shovel crap down your throat? Absolutely not. One of the reasons why we love eating is because it is pleasurable. So why skimp out on that just because it’s a snack? Make something nice for yourself, sit down, and enjoy a snack. Your body, your weight, your fitness, and your mind will thank you. Snack with a purpose to stay hungry and fit!
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BONUS KITTY PIC
Sajah trying to blend in
I always try and be sure I am enjoying my food, and not just mindlessly eating. I LOVE food and want to enjoy the process of eating it as much as my body does 🙂
Yesss
excellent post 🙂
thanks!
Great Ideas – I get off work at 1:30 and usually like a “snack” when I get home after running errands on my way home. I like the egg on toast, actually I can keep hard boil eggs in the fridge for that. Sometimes I just take a spoon full of Peanut Butter and maybe one or two crackers – my favorite snack.
Yum!
Really great post. I’m always hungry when I get in from work in the afternoon, so I slice up some carrot sticks and eat them with ham. Just filling enough to keep me through until dinner 🙂
Ooh, nice idea!
Great post! I have noticed that when I don’t have anything snacky in the kitchen, (crackers, chips, etc.) I will eat a banana or make toast and I feel so much better afterwards!
Awesome!
This is such a great post! I’m having a hard time with this right now, but have been reaching for almonds, trail mix and protein shakes instead of pizza!
Hey, tons better!
This is such a good post, thank you! It’s so easy to fall into mindless snacking and it’s sooooo bad for you! Some great ideas, especially love the look of the egg on avocado snack!
😀
ants on a log!!!!!!!
yeahh!!
I love this! I’m definitely a snack lover, and I’ve learned that a substantial snack with a nice balance of carbs, protein, and fat is the way to go.
My favorite snack right now is a bowl of 2% Greek yogurt with some fruit and either nuts or nut butter! Simple, filling, and most importantly, tasty 🙂
Oooh perfect
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Thank you for sharing this, I love Popcorn and always think that it is not a healthy snack to choose. But now I will eat more popcorn without worrying too much 🙂
Good! Just get it without the butter
Love this post
Thanks!
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Hiya! I nominated you for the ABC Awesome Blog Content award, you can find all the details about it on my blog!
Happy new year & happy writing
x