For the next few weeks, here at Lacuna Loft we’re going to explore some different aspects of healthy eating!  We’ll talk about various alternative eating styles, healthy eating on a budget, creative ways to fit all those fruits and veggies into your day, and much more!  We’ll call upon cancer survivors, nutritionists, and others to offer their expertise.

While we are definitely not pushing one way of healthy eating over another, knowing all you can about the foods we eat is a great thing.  We want to give you all the awareness we can in order to help us all make healthy eating choices.

So far, we’ve discussed vegetarian eating and smoothies.  Today we’ll talk about healthy snacking!

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Today we are welcoming, Jenny, a Registered Dietitian and Personal Fitness Coach. She graduated with a Bachelors in Dietetics from Fontbonne University in 2013. She went on to complete her dietetic internship and Master of Arts in Multidisciplinary Health Communication Studies from Fontbonne University in December of 2014. Jenny has a strong passion for both nutrition and fitness and strives to raise awareness, educate the public, and clear up misleading nutrition information. Jenny believes that balance, variety, and moderation are the key to a healthy lifestyle and strongly discourages food deprivation and fad diets. She hopes to help people build a healthy relationship with food, learn to seek credible nutrition information, and develop a healthy lifestyle (not diet) through fitness and nutrition.

Jenny will be talking to us about snacking your way into a healthy lifestyle! Thanks Jenny!

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For years, snacking has been frowned upon as a successful way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Society has been brainwashed into choosing quick fix diets that include cutting calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc. as a way to see quick results. I am here to tell you that those times have changed. As a Registered Dietitian, one of the most common questions I often hear my clients ask is, “how do I get rid of my cravings for snacks?”

Well, I am here to tell you do not need to give up snacking! Actually, incorporating snacks into your day has been proven to not only help with weight loss, but also increase metabolism, improve energy, improve concentration, and achieve essential nutrient needs.

I am a strong advocate for eating consistently throughout the day, not going without food for more than 2-3 hours. This is the key to successful weight maintenance and loss, as it keeps metabolism high. It also prevents overeating and poor food choices because you never let yourself get to the point of hunger or starvation. Healthy snacking plays a huge role in this ideal meal plan.

So what’s the catch, you ask? Well, obviously snacking on potato chips and candy is not what I am referring to in this situation. I am talking about snacking on healthy foods such as whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products. Food manufacturers have been successful in getting Americans hooked on high sugar, high calorie snacks over the years, mainly due to their convenience. These snacks are highly processed and absolutely contribute to the obesity epidemic that is so present in this country.

So what are the best healthy snacks?

The ideal healthy snack is a mix of a protein and/or fat and a carbohydrate combination. A perfect example is an apple or banana and all natural peanut butter. The apple provides carbohydrates to refuel your body. It also provides fiber which will help you feel full longer. The peanut butter is a good source of protein and healthy fats that will help with satiety as well. Especially after a workout, it is important to consume a good protein/carb mix within 30 minutes to refuel and repair your muscles.

Healthy Snack Options:
• Apple and Peanut Butter
• Hardboiled eggs and fruit
• Whole grain bread and nut butter
• Tuna and whole grain crackers
• String cheese and a piece of fruit
• Trailmix
• Deli Roll Up-low-sodium deli meat with a piece of string cheese wrapped in it
• Hummus and veggies
• Cottage cheese with fruit
• Plain non-fat Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit

Let me break down the science of this real quickly for you. I won’t get too detailed, but it helps to have a brief understanding of how the body processes certain nutrients.

That bag of potato chips you love. We’ve all been there. We have reached the point of starvation and we hit the nearest vending machine and find the most convenient option. We’ll go with Doritos. They taste delightful and you are able to devour the bag in about 5 seconds. Here is why:

Simple carbohydrates (chips, candy, white bread, white pasta, etc) are digested and absorbed VERY quickly. This is why when you are sitting on the couch with a bag of potato chips, you can easily eat the whole bag in one sitting. Simple carbohydrates do not trigger satiety. You don’t even realize how quickly you are digesting endless amounts of these empty calories with no nutritional value. This is why it is important to choose whole grain carbohydrate sources that are filled with fiber. This may include brown rice, whole grain or whole wheat pasta and breads, quinoa, barley, and other whole cereal grains. White grain products are simple sugars, are absorbed quickly, and do not provide nutritional value.

Now let’s talk about protein and fat. Protein is absorbed much more slowly than carbohydrates, hence the reason for feeling fuller longer. Fat is absorbed EVEN more slowly than protein. That peanut butter or other nut butter that goes on your apple. Almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, string cheese, Greek yogurt. These are all good sources of protein and healthy fats and will help keep you full.

The purpose of a good protein or fat and carbohydrate combination is to give you all the essential nutrients you need and the satiety to get you to the next meal. The purpose of healthy snacking is to give your body the nourishment it needs to get through the day.

When we think of convenient snacks, we think of unhealthy snacks. But I am here to tell you that snacking can be both convenient AND healthy. It just takes a little planning ahead.

If you are at a loss of where to start when it comes to healthy snacking, here are a few tips of my own and suggestions that stem from the research by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
• Plan Ahead: Keep a variety of healthy snacks nearby at all times. I always have a bag of nuts, hardboiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt or fruit in my lunch box at work. This helps with unhealthy food temptations and the desire to hit the vending machine or nearby convenient store. Preparation is key!
• Choose Nutrient Dense Foods: Make your snack calories count. Choose foods with a good carb/protein/fat ratio that will satisfy you until the next meal. Consider snacks as small meals that will help you get those extra fruits and vegetables in your day!
• Don’t Deprive Yourself: I believe in everything in moderation. If you are craving a bag of chips or a piece of candy, you can have it. Just watch your portion size. Deprivation leads to binging and unhealthy relationships with food. You can feed your cravings occasionally and still be healthy. After you feed your unhealthy craving, make sure you are back on track for the rest of the day. It will be okay. It’s all about consistency and habits. All food fits.
• Watch Portion Size: A good rule of thumb is to keep snacks between 100 and 200 calories. A good protein to carbohydrate ratio is 10-15 grams protein and 15-30 grams carbohydrate per snack.
• Drink Water!!! Sometimes when we think we are hungry, we are just dehydrated. If you are feeling hungry, drink a glass of water and see how you feel. If you are still hungry, it’s time for your snack.

I hope that snacking begins to be viewed in a healthier way and that people use it as a tool to improve overall health. It all starts with building a healthy relationship with food, and if you can do that, then the rest will fall together on its own. Food is a wonderful thing that fuels and nourishes our body. Be aware, do your research using credible sources, and if you have food and nutrition related questions don’t hesitate to seek advice from a nutrition professional such as a Registered Dietitian.

Happy Snacking!
Jenny Miller, MA, RD, LD

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Thank you Jenny!  What are your favorite healthy snacking choices?

For the next few weeks, here at Lacuna Loft we’re going to explore some different aspects of healthy eating!  We’ll talk about various alternative eating styles, healthy eating on a budget, creative ways to fit all those fruits and veggies into your day, and much more!  We’ll call upon cancer survivors, nutritionists, and others to offer their expertise.

While we are definitely not pushing one way of healthy eating over another, knowing all you can about the foods we eat is a great thing.  We want to give you all the awareness we can in order to help us all make healthy eating choices.

Today we’ll talk about vegetarian eating!

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Over the past few months, I’ve been exploring vegetarian eating.  My reasons for vegetarian eating aren’t really important to this post but I have definitely learned lots in the process, which I thought I’d share.

While transitioning to vegetarian eating, I learned a lot about the quality of the foods that I put in my body.  While the act of cutting meat out of my diet was pretty straight forward, figuring out how to consume enough calories and also enough protein took a little finagling.  Adding protein into your diet when you’re used to eating meat can seem cumbersome at first.  Brit.co has a great article on adding protein to your salads though eating more vegetables doesn’t mean that you have to eat only salads!  (My husband knows exactly how I feel about eating salads for a full meal…it just isn’t a full meal!)  😉  And, did you know that there is plenty of protein in beans, eggs, nuts, dairy, avocados, and other very healthy foods?  I now smear peanut butter on my pancakes (thanks to the great advice of a very good friend of mine 🙂 ), grab a handful of cashews in a baggie on my way out the door, make garbanzo bean tacos or add garbanzo beans to soups and salads, continue eating plenty of eggs, have a bowl of plain yogurt with fruit for a snack, eat more whole grains, and pay closer attention to the amount of sugar in my diet.

While eating vegetarian, I’ve also discovered the easiest way to eat healthy in general…start with intention at the source…the grocery store!  If I only make healthy decisions while standing in my kitchen, I will be severely limited by the quantity and variety of healthy food in my pantry.  If I decide to buy healthy choices then healthy food is what I’ll most easily have on hand when my hunger arises.  Eating vegetarian also has its cost benefits.  Some of my family has started including vegetarian meals just a few times a week to cut grocery costs.

I will fully admit that I don’t stick to a 100% vegetarian diet…while 98% of the time I eat only veggie, sometimes there aren’t any veggie options (depending on where you’re eating with friends, family, etc.) and I’d rather eat a little meat than skip a meal.  Everything in moderation 🙂

How do you enforce healthier eating habits?  Have you tried eating vegetarian before?

For the next few weeks, here at Lacuna Loft we’re going to explore some different aspects of healthy eating!  We’ll talk about various alternative eating styles, healthy eating on a budget, creative ways to fit all those fruits and veggies into your day, and much more!  We’ll call upon cancer survivors, nutritionists, and others to offer their expertise.

While we are definitely not pushing one way of healthy eating over another, knowing all you can about the foods we eat is a great thing.  We want to give you all the awareness we can in order to help us all make healthy eating choices.

Have any specific questions you want us to try and answer?  Let us know in the comments below or by emailing info(at)lacunaloft(dot)com

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