HEALTHY SNACKING TIPS - FROM ARCHIVES : 09 18 06
CURRENT

I don't know about you, but it seems like I'm constantly hungry. I am especially hungry when I am bored, like at work. (Yikes!) Participating in activities I am truly not interested in seems to make me want to snack. When this happens I often do one of two things depending on how pudgy I feel. On a pudgy feeling day I will ignore my hunger pains and turn up my Ipod; not a healthy choice but the music often distracts me long enough to forget about eating.

On a non pudgy feeling day I will hunt for change and head to the vending machine. You would think that the 50 percent mark up would be a deterrent, but in the moment my cravings usually win the battle.

I may sit there and reason with myself, out loud if no one is around; I tell myself that 85 cents for Oreo's every once in a while is harmless. Then out of the blue reality sits in, and I know that when hunger strikes, the ideal snack should fall in the in the range of 200 calories.

On that note, here are some suggestions by Leslie Bonci, R.D. director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center, to help you plan ahead and stockpile appropriately.

Location: Desk Drawer

The Need: Protein-dense brain food to offset the afternoon drowsiness.

• ½ tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter on 1 oz dried apple chips (180 calories)
• 3-oz single-serving can of bean dip on three whole-grain crisp breads (170 calories)
• 1 oz sunflower seeds (165 calories)

Location: Gym Locker

The Need: Carbohydrate-based treats to fuel your workout

• 1 Hunt's snack-sized pudding (110 calories)
• 4 big-bit Frosted Mini-Wheats (176 calories)
• 1/3 cup dried mixed fruit (134 calories)
• 3 graham cracker sheets (180 calories)

Location: Your Car

The Need: Non-greasy foods you can eat with one hand

• 1 ½ oz trail mix (197 calories)
• A chewy granola bar (120 calories)
• 3 Quaker Multi grain Cakes (150 calories)
• 23 almonds (164 calories)

Here are some other eat-right suggestions:

• Dieters may have trouble concentrating and switching tasks, says study author Eva Kemps, PhD, probably because they're constantly totaling calories and thinking about food. “ That uses up precious working memory space,” Kemp says. Clear the mental clutter by deciding on (and even packing) your next day's meals and snacks each evening, so you don't fixate on food.
• Eat a nutritious breakfast today, and it my become routine, shows a study in the Journal of Consumer Research that finds our food choices are most influenced by what we ate at the same meal the day before. Breakfast is the easiest habit to establish because you probably have it in the same place daily.
• Ordering wine with dinner not only raises your tab, it may also lower your resolve to stick to a diet, a study from the NPD Group in Port Washington, New York, suggests. Those who sipped wine at restaurants were more likely to indulge in dessert too.

So if you too get the munchies, take the time to plan out your day because making small changes today will lead to a better tomorrow while losing a few pounds along the way. Good luck and healthy eating.

By: Dawn Dudgeon