Snacking can get the best of us at any time, but combine holiday social gatherings, changes to routine, and getting poor quality sleep, and the perfect storm of snack-more-have regular-meals-less-often arrives!

Let’s start here  What’s in a snack?

A snack should be less in calories, amount, and volume than a regular meal. There’s no specific calorie limit but, generally, it can be under 350 calories, and it should stave off hunger for about one to three hours.

How do you compare that to a meal? A meal is more substantive, staving off hunger for a good 3 1/2 to 5 hours.

If you find yourself, eating, or grazing, for most of the day. Ask this question: have I been eating meals or mostly snacks today? Snacking most of the day can leave us less satisfied, not only because of the less volume of food but because mostly the types of foods we choose for snacks aren’t as satisfying to our brains, as opposed to when we choose ‘meal-type’ foods.

When it comes to snacking there are many pros and cons, here are a few of the most important ones:

Pros

 Snacking can help balance your blood sugar levels (if paired correctly – i.e., fruit plus healthy fat, such as nuts).

 Snacking can help you hit your daily nutrient targets.

 Snacking can help you manage hunger by bridging the gap between meals.

Cons

 Snacking can leave you feeling sluggish, especially when choosing processed options.

 Snacking can interfere with your body’s natural detoxification process – ideally, we want more meals than snacks throughout the day to allow for a 3.5-5 hour break between eating.

 Snacking can increase hunger if the snack is too small.

If you enjoy your snacks, keep in mind that snacks are smaller versions of meals to give us more energy or satisfy our cravings.

An apple, a handful of nuts, a cheese stick, hummus and vegetable sticks, and whole-grain bread are all examples of healthy snacks.

Hi! I’m Alisa and I help guide individuals to nourish themselves as soon as their next meal, slay constant hunger, minimize or eliminate medications, and streamline supplementation.

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Try these blueberry-buckwheat-blender-muffins for the perfect snack!​

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