Snacking is a great part of a balanced diet when it satisfies you and involves foods you enjoy. Despite what diet culture may tell you, snacking isn’t bad, and it doesn’t mean you don’t have willpower.
However, there can be some reasons why you snack that aren’t hunger related. Here are (just a few) reasons why you may find yourself snacking a lot and what you can do to help.
No meal time structure
It’s a good idea to eat every few hours and have a consistent mealtime structure. If your meal times are less predictable and more spaced out, you may find yourself snacking more than usual from being hungry. Try to eat at similar times most days in a way that works for you, this way you are fuelling your body with more filling foods and won’t feel the need to snack as much.
Emotional eating
For a lot of people, food can be a coping mechanism for emotions. Although comfort foods are great, if you find yourself eating for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger, you could feel uncomfortably full from overeating and even unwell. It’s always better to find healthy ways to cope with emotions, such as talking to a trusted person or professional, journaling, and doing other activities which help with your mood.
Boredom eating
Sometimes we eat because it’s something to do when we’re bored. It can help to come up with a replacement activity to divert your attention away from food, such as doing a task you’ve been putting off, reading a book, going for a walk, listening to music, or engaging in a hobby that you enjoy.
Mindless eating
It can be so easy to keep snacking when you’re in front of a screen. Being distracted by something else makes it harder for you to listen to your hunger and fullness cues as you’re paying less attention to it. Try to minimise distractions while you’re eating as much as you can to help you become more intuitive to your hunger and fullness cues.
Healthy, balanced & filling snack ideas
Chocolate Pudding Bowl
Enjoy chocolate pudding with milo protein cereal and fruit of choice for a sweet snack.
You’ll need:
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1 chocolate pudding (Wicked Sisters)
- 20g banana
- 10g milo protein cereal
Calories: 235kcal; Protein: 19g; Carbohydrates: 22g; Fat: 8g; Fibre: 1g
Salmon Rice Paper Rolls
You’ll need:
- 100g salmon, sliced
- 20g teriyaki sauce
- 25g avocado, sliced
- 50g rice paper wrappers
- 1 Tbs light sweet chilli sauce
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Coat salmon pieces in teriyaki sauce. Add to a lined baking tray and bake in oven for ~5-10 mins or until cooked through.
- Wet each wrapper with water according to packet directions. Top each wrapper with avocado and salmon and wrap up.
- Serve rice paper rolls with sweet chilli sauce. Enjoy!!
Calories: 492kcal; Protein: 27g; Carbohydrates: 47g; Fat: 23g; Fibre: 2g
Only those who believe their willpower is diminished will experience diminished willpower – we become what we tell ourselves we are.
The problem comes if you waste your willpower on stuff that doesn’t ultimately ‘move the dial’. So when you really do need willpower, there isn’t any left! You’ve wasted it on worrying about the small stuff, instead of the stuff that ACTUALLY makes a difference.
Have a think… if you only have a small amount of willpower to use each day, what will you prioritise it on?
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Pick ONE habit that you want to accomplish with snacking for the week.
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As your willpower ‘muscle’ strengthens, you can add on another habit.
