by Chrystie Dickens
How many of you are nervous about next week and staying on track with your schedule and nutritional goals? I am!
One way to stay on track is healthy snacking. But why is snacking important at all? When we go to long between meals, our bodies begin to burn our hard-earned muscle and are in a catabolic state. If we eat more often, we can stay in an anabolic state which allows us to burn fat and the food we consume instead of our lean muscle.
Another benefit of snacking is that we are less likely to overeat at our next meal because we won’t feel like we are starving. Having food at more regular intervals also means more energy throughout the day. Yay!
How do we make sure our snacks are healthy? Stay away from prepackaged snacks that are full of refined carbohydrates and sugar. Instead, make sure your snacks are nutritious and full of protein. Some healthy snack ideas are:
- Rice cake with nut butter & a drizzle of honey
- Cottage cheese with some berries or tomatoes
- 2 hard boiled eggs with Spike seasoning or everything bagel seasoning
- Sliced veggies with hummus
These are all my favorite things to snack on to keep my energy levels high to make it through the busy days. I hope this helps. Have other favorite healthy snacks? Mention them in the comments!
“Every time you eat is an opportunity to nourish your body.”
Chrystie Dickens is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Certified Nutrition Coach, Certified Warrior Strength Instructor, and Certified Tribe Team Training Instructor. She is the Founder of Fit and Fourtyish, a personal training and nutritional coaching program dedicated to helping people with strength, agility, balance and weight loss. She can be reached at chrystie@fitandfourtyish.com.