If
you’re tired of munching on
apples mid-afternoon and the kids are well over those fishy crackers,
it’s time to delve into the world of
snack recipes.
Welcome
to your source for all things snacks! Here you’ll find snacks
for kids, for diabetics, and for parties. We’ll talk about
healthy snacks, from low-fat to low-cal.
In the dictionary, we find a snack listed as
a small bit of food or drink eaten between meals, or as a small meal in
and of itself. Delving deeper into research into healthy eating and
weight loss, we find that snacking is an important component of any
diet.
(And take the word
“diet” as the food you eat
whatever your lifestyle, not necessarily something you’re
doing to lose weight.)
When we go long periods between meals
without eating, we are setting ourselves up for the tendency to eat
heavier meals, or binge in the evenings. Eating heavier at mealtime is
detrimental, because meals usually container
“heavier” foods, and it’s not always the
stuff we should be bulking up on.
So, snacks and snack recipes should come
into play every day, several times a day. A mid-morning snack and
mid-afternoon snack will do most people just fine.
If you stay up late
in the evenings, a post-dinner snack is probably something to consider
as well. It’s important to evaluate your schedule and your
actual hunger levels when planning snacking.
Notice, I said
“planning” snacking! PLAN a snack? Of course! Plan
your snacks, just as you would your meals. By doing this,
you’re more likely to eat healthy snacks and less likely to
simply plow your way through a back of chips or a row (or two!) of
cookies.
To keep yourself from bingeing during snack
time, another good
rule of thumb is to drink a full glass of water before starting. Water
doesn’t stave off everyone’s hunger pains (although
it does some), but it will fill your stomach partially, thereby
requiring less actual food to satisfy you during your snack.
Snack recipes needn’t intimidate
you. They can be simple with little (or likely no) cooking, and be
satisfying at the same time.