How to Reduce Snacking

As life becomes more hectic, it's no surprise that many people turn to snacks to get through the day. You might find yourself grabbing a quick bite from a fast-food joint, a convenience store, a street vendor, a coffee shop, or a grocery store. However, studies show that regularly indulging in ready-made snacks can lead to weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health risks. With just a little planning and preparation, you can cut back on snacking and embrace a healthier eating lifestyle.

Keep a Food Journal. Keeping track of what you eat for a few days can provide valuable insight into why you may be opting for snacks instead of healthy meals. Write down the time, food, and the reasons behind your choices. Reflect on why you choose snacks throughout your day:

• Is it because fast food is just so convenient?
• Do you grab lunch from a street vendor because you don't have time to prepare a healthy meal?
• After a long workday, is your dinner just frozen food because you don’t have time for anything else?

Create a list of your favorite snacks. Identifying the snacks you crave will help you reduce them from your diet. Knowing what you tend to crave allows you to better control your urges and plan for healthier changes.

• Gradually remove your favorite snacks. When they’re not available at home, you'll be less likely to crave them. Therefore, keep only a few of your favorites and stock up on healthier alternatives.
• Additionally, try to limit keeping snacks at the office.

Manage your emotions and stress. Often, you crave snacks when you're sad, tired, frustrated, angry, or stressed. It's a common response to reach for something after feeling upset or under pressure. Handling emotions or stress without resorting to food can improve your health and reduce snacking.

• Keeping a journal can help you understand which moods trigger your cravings. Ask yourself: Are you feeling bored? What’s causing your desire for snacks? Was it a stressful day? Are you snacking out of habit or for social reasons?
• If you feel that indulging in snacks helps you cope with emotions, a small treat may not hurt. However, it’s important to note why you craved that snack for future reference.
• Find other activities that help you relax, calm down, or lift your spirits. Try reading a book or magazine, taking a walk, listening to your favorite songs, or playing a game.

Change your habits. We often snack out of habit. You might stop by a street vendor for a pick-me-up during your work break, or grab a quick snack from a fast-food joint on your way home late at night. Changing these habits can improve your eating patterns.

• When do you usually snack? Are there other activities you could replace snacking with? For instance, if you want to unwind during your afternoon break, instead of visiting the street vendor, try going for a walk.

Make healthier swaps. If your favorite snack isn’t good for your health, try finding better alternatives to satisfy your cravings.

• For example, if you're craving something sweet, opt for yogurt with fruit, 30g of dark chocolate, or sugar-free pudding.
• If you're craving something savory, choose raw vegetables with hummus, hard-boiled eggs with a pinch of salt, or a celery stalk with peanut butter.

Plan your meals. To manage your diet and reduce your daily snack intake, create a plan that helps you design a new eating routine (without snacks).

• Plan your meals for the entire week, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Ideally, meals should keep you full so you’re not constantly craving more. However, avoid eating three large meals; instead, aim for six smaller meals throughout the day.
• Make your meal plans practical. Cooking at home every day may be challenging, but occasionally dining out or choosing ready-made food can work when necessary.
• Also, plan your meals and cook in advance. If you’re usually busy in the evenings, it’s wise to have dinner ready when you get home.
• Prepare meals over the weekend and store them in the freezer. This way, you’ll have food ready to go when needed or ready to throw in the slow cooker.

Go to the market or supermarket regularly. One of the best ways to cut back on snacking is by stocking up on healthy foods and reducing ready-made snacks. When you have fewer snacks at home, you’ll be less likely to indulge.

• The market is a great place to buy fresh, seasonal produce and locally grown vegetables.
• At the supermarket, focus on the fresh food sections like fruits, vegetables, seafood, meats, dairy, and eggs.
• Avoid the aisles with your favorite snacks like chips. Instead, head to the section with healthier ready-made options like canned beans and vegetables, canned tuna, nuts, and whole grain cereals.
• Don’t shop when you’re hungry. When you’re hungry, everything looks appealing. Foods you usually avoid will be much harder to resist when you’re starving.
• Create a shopping list and stick to it. Avoid changing the list once you're at the store.

Prepare and cook healthy meals. Cooking at home gives you full control over what you eat. Plus, you can regulate the amount of fat, sugar, or salt added to your meals.

• You should also include a variety of foods from different food groups to ensure a balanced diet. Aim to include grains, protein, vegetables, and dairy in your daily meals. This will help you achieve your nutritional goals.
• Check out cookbooks, magazines, or websites to discover new recipes that suit your preferences and inspire you to enjoy home cooking.
• If your meal plan requires eating out occasionally, try cooking those meals in advance over the weekend or during free time. When planning for the week, store meals in the fridge. If you need to prepare large portions or want to store meals for longer than a week, divide the food into servings and freeze them for later use.

Prepare healthy snacks. Having healthy snacks on hand can help you forget about street vendors and other snack temptations. Bring snacks to work and keep some healthy options at home.

• To make snacks more satisfying, add lean protein, fiber, and a bit of healthy fats. For example: Greek yogurt with fruits and nuts, peanut butter with apple slices, homemade protein-packed snacks with nuts, cheese, and dried fruits, or hummus with whole grain crackers and raw carrots.
• If possible, stock your office fridge or desk with healthy snacks. You can keep small packages of nuts, easy-to-eat fruits like apples, whole grain crackers, small packets of peanut butter, or protein bars. If there’s a fridge, bring cheese sticks, yogurt, or hummus.

Make smart choices at restaurants. Many times, you’ll need to eat out or grab ready-made food due to a busy schedule. While treating yourself to a snack occasionally isn’t harmful, try to choose healthier options when eating out frequently.

• Many restaurants, especially well-known chains, offer nutritional information for their dishes online.
• Snacks or ready-made foods are often high in calories, fats, and salt. Avoid these and opt for fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins instead.
• If you’re at a fast-food restaurant, choose a salad (with dressing on the side), a grilled chicken sandwich or chicken tenders, soup, fruit, or a yogurt parfait.
• If you're at a convenience store, select low-fat cheese, fruits, protein bars, or hard-boiled eggs.
• Avoid fried foods, pastries, or items loaded with sugar.

Control your favorite foods. It's common to have favorite snacks as part of your usual eating habits. Completely cutting them out isn’t necessary or practical. Instead, enjoy your favorites in moderation by having small portions.

• Set limits for yourself. For example, you can have dessert twice a week or enjoy a night out with friends once a week. Choose healthier options that work for you.
• Keep in mind that treating yourself too often can become a habit. If you indulge multiple times a week, it can lead to weight gain.
• Avoid overindulging. Cutting back on snacking is a great way to improve your overall health. However, you don’t have to give up all your favorite treats. Overeating can lead to consuming more than necessary.

• If you find it hard to make changes, try gradually adjusting your eating habits. Start with small changes by reducing unhealthy options and replacing them with better choices. Take a week to get accustomed to these new choices and then add more as you go. Continue the process until you’ve made the full transition.
• Don’t let frustration make you quit. Give yourself time to adapt to healthy eating habits, even if it’s harder than you expected. Slow progress is better than no progress. Always remember to keep pushing forward.
• Occasional snacking is okay as long as it’s controlled.

• Always consult with your doctor before starting any new diet plan.