Snacking to Lose Weight?

November 2, 2010

When the term “grazing” comes up, you may think of fat cows in a pasture, or your obese college roommate who seemed to live in the cafeteria more than with you, but there are many other grazers that seem to go unnoticed. A few examples are gazelles, giraffes, horses, and most other grass eating mammals that have body frames that are substantially leaner, not to mention many people’s favorite celebrities and athletes with their million dollar 6-packs!!
Most people have heard by now that it’s best to eat 6-7 small meals per day in order to keep the metabolism high and the calories burning. To do this, there has to be snacking involved, but not the old fashioned form of snacking (bags of chips, candy, pretzels, and other items in the “Snack Aisle” at the store). Now that it’s becoming common knowledge to eat smaller meals more often, it’s time to begin ingraining knowledge about what types of foods we should be eating more often. As I tell my clients, focusing your snacks around proteins will ensure they are a more natural food, which will be digested more properly and used more as energy instead of being stored as fat. Options such as:
• Hard boiled eggs (1 yolk, the rest whites for less fat and cholesterol)
• Lean meats (Chicken, Turkey, and Fish)
• Raw veggies
• Fruit
• Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews and other nuts
• Homemade Snack Mix (Oatmeal granola with dried fruit, nuts and dark chocolate chips)
• Whole Wheat/Gluten Free crackers and Hummus
• Jerky (especially wild game)
• Greek Yogurt (Plain, but add your own fruit!!)
Aim to eat a meal or small snack every 2-3 hours for weight loss and also for weight maintenance and increased energy. Snacks do not need to be very large at all, especially when looking for weight loss benefits. 80-100 calories is just enough to boost that metabolism for the next couple of hours, and as I mentioned, the more natural the food, the better it is processed by the body, so eat well, and eat often!!