Snack Attack

Whether we are trying to lose weight or maintain the weight we are at, snacking is a big part of most of our days. Healthy snacking is fine and helps us to maintain energy levels throughout the day. The NHS recommends that women trying to lose weight should consume around 280 of their daily calories in the form of snacks (based on a 1,400 cal diet).

Problems set in when we reach for convince high fat high sugar snacks that are hard to resist! Convince food is everywhere; last year we spent £1.85 billion pounds on vending machine snacks that have low nutritional value!

If you find you tend to lean to the unhealthy snacks such as crisps and sweets don’t panic as this is fine in moderation. In the UK we eat 6 billion packets of crisps a year, more than any other European country. One reason we eat so many is down to something many nutritionists know as ‘Portion Distortion’ which mean that we have been lead into eating larger and larger portions without really noticing. A prime example is the ‘Share’ bags which often, we don’t end up sharing. These large packs lead to mindless eating and a distorted view of what a portion is.

A recent study shows that eating snacks from smaller packages prevents mindless eating therefore cutting the amount of calories consumed. Half the study group were given a share bag of around 100g while the other group were given a pile of individual 25g bags. The group with the share bags ate far more than the individual bags, this is because after the second group finished one small packet of crisps they had a pause in which they would have to consciously choose if they should to open the second bag or not. The first group could munch through the 100g without having to make a conscious choice. The way to get around this, if you are given a large bag, is to pour out a portion into a bowl. When you finish it you will have to make a choice, to refill or not? More often than not you won’t refill it saving yourself calories.

This principle can be applied to healthy snacks. Have ready cut fruit and vegetables stored in the fridge for when you get a snack attack. A low effort carrot stick is much more appealing than having to cut and peel a carrot from scratch. Below is a link giving example of healthy snacks that are 100 calories or less while still positively contributing to your health.

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight/pages/surprising-100-calorie-snacks.aspx

#calories #snacking #health #nutrition