Good morning, Eskimos! Holy freezing outside today! If it weren’t for my ugg earmuffs, I think my ears would fall off.    Anyway, enough about the weather – let’s talk snacks! As you are all aware I have a little bit of a snack problem but before I denounce snacking, I want to share with you – fellow snackers- some healthy snack ideas!

I know there is a lot of controversy whether or not snacking – or eating 5 small meals a day-  helps speed up your metabolism, but to be honest I don’t really care as long as it doesn’t hinder my weight-loss efforts! So, how to eat snacks that don’t make you gain weight or slow down your weight-loss is the primary goal here.

Without further ado… Vicky’s acceptable snacking list:

• Apple with a nut butter (no more than 1 tbs)
• Banana with a nut butter
• Fruit alone or with a piece of cheese
• Handful of nuts with a fruit or alone
• Greek yogurt with fruit or nuts
• 1/4 cup oatmeal with fruit or nuts
• Larabars, kind bars or any other nut bar (check ingredients)
• carrots (veggies) with hummus or nut butter (trust me)
• Protein Shakes (made with protein powder, fruit, nut butters and dairy milk or non-dairy milk)

If you’re a snack attacker, typical snack times are in-between breakfast and lunch and/or in-between lunch and dinner. The latter can be danger zone, when you have your afternoon slump and crave sweets or sugars to gain back some energy. I suggest eating a fruit with some nuts or butters for a good ratio of carbs/fat/protein to cure that sweet tooth and give you some energy for the rest of the day. I would say no snacks after dinner, however there is one exception.  If you typically workout after your dinner, it is perfectly acceptable to have a snack (a protein shake would be a good one here).  The primary purpose of snacking is to still offer nutrients to the body, sustain your blood sugar levels and keep you from going on a food rage. Mindless snacking or snacking on things like chips, crackers, granola bars etc which are loaded with sugars won’t give you the fuel you need and is precisely why they are not listed on my snack attack list. I don’t care if the package says ‘gluten free’ or ‘natural’ it’s still loaded with unnecessary ingredients. Eat whole, fresh and real snack foods – those will provide you with optimum lasting energy!

If I come up with any other ‘acceptable’ snack options I shall inform you pronto!

And an easy guide to measuring food…