Bodies by Design: Smarter steps to snacking
A big part of eating for fat loss is keeping your metabolism going all day long with small, sensible meals and snacks. In theory, this is simple and easy: eat a little something every two to three hours throughout the day.
Unfortunately, very few people do it right, resulting in frustrating weight gain.
The content of your snacks and small meals is of utmost importance. If you’re eating the wrong thing every two to three hours then it’s easy to gain weight quickly, rather than what you want, which is to drop fat and clothes sizes.
Let’s jump into the three steps to snack smartly that I have for you to keep you on track and burning fat all day long.
#1: Watch out for added sugar
Sugar is the biggest problem when it comes to fattening snacks, and so this needs to be the number one nutrient that you check. Your frequent snacks should contain very little, or zero, added sugars.
This is a pet peeve that I have: many "‘healthy" foods have massive amounts of added sugars, which will destroy your results. Items like protein bars, jerky, dried fruit, green juice and trail mix often have added sugars and preservatives that you need to watch out for and avoid.
Your snacks should have little to zero added sugars, and should be a nice blend of protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates.
#2: Check the serving size
When your snack comes in a package, after you make sure that it isn’t filled with sugar, check the serving size. It’s a popular technique for food manufacturers to give the nutritional facts for two or even 2.5 servings, on an item that you will likely polish off the entire package.
If the servings are more than just one, then you’ll need to do some quick math. Calculate the total calories, sugar, carbs, fat and protein. Make sure that the numbers line up with your target nutrition sums.
Always be aware of how many servings you are eating in a single sitting. Do the math if you’re eating more than one serving – be honest with yourself.
#3: Homemade, made-in-nature are best
As convenient as packaged health snacks are, you will always see better results by eating whole foods found in nature, or snacks that you’ve made at home with real food ingredients. Even the healthiest packaged protein bar from the store is going to contain preservatives and additives that are completely avoided in homemade foods.
A handful of raw nuts, a piece of fruit with fresh nut butter, a hardboiled egg, a homemade fitness muffin, some chicken breast on veggies or chopped flank steak on a salad are all better options than any packaged snack.
When possible, stick with whole foods found in nature and snacks and meals that you make at home.
Trainer Fred extra tip:
No GMO! Organic! Grain-Free! Paleo! Vegan! Preservative Free!
Guess what? Nothing that you read on the front of a food package really matters. Those hyped-up bullet points, strategically placed there to sell you, are only saying what you want to hear.
What really matters is the ingredient list and the nutrition label. Pay attention to these and ignore the bold claims on the front of the package that are meant to distract you. Keep your focus on what matters, and reap the reward in pounds and inches lost, and in confidence gained.
Fred Sassani is the founder of Bodies by Design in Pflugerville, a nationally certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist with over 20 years of experience. For more information about Bodies by Design visit bbdforlife.com.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bodies by Design: Smarter steps to snacking
