One of the questions I hear the most is: How do I stop my unhealthy snacking habits? It’s a question I can relate to- even after falling in love with clean eating years ago, I still fall back into unhealthy snacking habits from time to time. So today I’m here to share 3 steps to break unhealthy snacking habits.
I should start by saying that I almost called this post 3 steps to Break Bad Snacking Habits, but “bad” is a word loaded with judgment, something we could all use a little less of in our lives. So if you think of your habits as “bad,” try reframing your thinking. You are not bad, eating is not bad. It’s like “treats” versus “cheats.” We can come at this from a more positive standpoint and maybe that will make a difference in your success!
And when we’re looking at our snacking we need to think about the food we’re eating when we snack as well as the habits that surround our snacking. I think healthy snacks are an important part of your nutrition- and they can be a way to make sure you’re eating all the different foods you should eat in a given day. So don’t feel like you shouldn’t snack. You probably just need to snack better.
1- Set Yourself Up For Success
First of all, the basics: set yourself up for success.
♥Make sure you’re rested. You’re more likely to overeat and cave in to cravings if you’re tired. Sleep is an ultra-important but often neglected piece of the puzzle when it comes to health and weight.
♥Nourish your body with good, healthy food. Make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need so your cravings aren’t so bad. So your meals should be healthy and well-rounded: think more vegetables, healthy protein, healthy carbs, healthy fats. If you’re hungry, you are more likely to snack and if you’re overly hungry it can take longer to register the feeling of fullness.
♥Drink your water. Make sure you’re hydrated so you don’t mistake thirst for hunger. Plus, it’s just good for you!
♥Manage your mood and your stress. Do things that will boost your mood and help with stress so that you don’t look to food as comfort. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I taking care of my needs? Physically? Emotionally? Mentally?
- Am I getting enough sleep? Do I have good sleep habits? (See 10 Habits for Better Sleep)
- How do I cope with stress? Do I have practices in place- exercise, meditation, journaling?
- Do I pay attention to my feelings? Or just buzz through the day and start over again tomorrow?
- How is my activity level? Do I exercise? How much time do I spend sitting? Am I getting up to move my body enough during the day?
All of these things are related…If you have good habits in place in other areas of life, it will be easier to address your eating habits.
2- Look at it from a habitual standpoint
Take a look at your habits and take note of when most of your unhealthy snacking occurs. What’s your hot spot of snacking?
Is it at a particular time of day? What’s happening when you’re snacking?
What snack choices are you making? Are you a grazer or a binger?
How do you feel when you’re snacking? Bored, stressed out, angry, frustrated, lonely, sad?
When are you most likely to pick? Or to binge?
If it’s while you’re making dinner, put out chopped fresh veggies to pick on while you eat.
If it’s’ when the kids get home from school and have their snack, plan a snack for yourself ahead of time. Make it a snack that you’ll enjoy eating, but that’s pretty healthy. Some examples- yogurt with granola, apple with peanut butter, peppers and guacamole or hummus, air popped popcorn, energy bites or granola bars.
If it’s at night set up new routines to avoid that trap- eat dessert earlier, chew gum or drink tea, eat only fruit in front of the TV. See this post- 8 Tips to Kick That Nighttime Eating Habit for more ideas.
If you love to bake, but overdo it with eating the goods, try baking healthier recipes that actually taste good. They are out there! And share them 🙂
Other healthy eating habits that apply to meals and snacking…
- Don’t eat too fast
- Manage your hunger
- Eat mindfully – don’t do other things while eating; enjoy your snacks. If you get more pleasure out of the snack you’re less likely to overdo it.
- Drink lots of water throughout the day
- Keep trigger foods out of the house
- Don’t eat straight from the box or bag
- Keep portions in check; look up reasonable portion sizes
- Have healthy snacks around
3- Address Your Snacking Hot Spot
I am really, really good at making good choices and eating clean until about 3:00. Then things go sideways. Two things happen around that time- my kids come home from school (and guess what they do…they snack) and my water drinking takes a nosedive. I also hit an energy lull around 2-3:00; that’s when I get tired and could use a siesta.
Just figuring out what’s happening that triggers my overboard snacking/poor food choices is the first step. Then, I can figure out what to do about it.
There are a few things I could do to avoid the extra/unneccessary/unhealthy snacking habits that I fall into:
√consciously drink more water at 3:00
√do something before they get home that grounds me, helps me destress
√on days when my schedule allows, rest or even (gasp!) take a 20-minute nap before they get home (I’m actually doing an online productivity course right now and a 20-minute nap is recommended every day- to boost productivity and creativity!)
√plan healthy snacks to eat with them that I love but that don’t tend to make me go overboard
√chew gum after the snack so I don’t keep picking on what they’re eating
√redirect after the snack- leave the kitchen and the snacks behind and do something
Where to start…
There are two approaches you can take- baby steps or snack detox. I generally recommend baby steps, but sometimes a more drastic approach works.
Baby steps: Choose one area to tackle first. What is your biggest healthy eating challenge? Your meals? Snacks? Picking? Drinking water? What time of day is hardest? Start there- don’t feel like you have to do a major overhaul.
Snack Detox: On the other end of the spectrum- do a snack detox. Or a week of clean eating (join a clean eating group– they’re all over the place). Sometimes cold-turkey or drastic is the way to go. Plan healthy snacks and don’t eat other than the snacks you planned.
So, what’s your snacking hot spot? Do you have a go-to healthy snack you love? I’d love to hear from you! You can comment here, email me at mary@stayathomefit.com, or find me on Facebook and Instagram.
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