Food – What to Eat – Part 2 - Snacks
This is the second article in a four-part series answering the question, “What do you eat?” and attempting to provide some guidance to those asking for assistance.
Please be sure you have read Food – What to Eat – Part 1 – Breakfast as information is provided that needs to be understood before proceeding to Part 2 – Snacks, Part 3 – Lunch and Part 4 – Dinner/Supper.
It is necessary to restate:
-My success was achieved with approximately 1,400 to 1,500 calories a day with moderate exercise.
-My snacks were usually kept between 100-150 calories so that total snack calories were approximately 300 daily for my three snacks
-Three snacks a day seem to be the choice of many of us who have experienced long-term success.
Here are a few things you may find helpful-
Here are a few things you may find helpful-
Snacks are as important as the meals we eat; sometimes even more so. Snacks keep our metabolism activated and working to burn calories. They help maintain a “full” feeling, which is beneficial when instituting a successful eating plan and aids in reducing any hunger we may begin to feel prior to our afternoon or evening meal. This additional time allows us to thoughtfully, consciously and healthily prepare our meals without grabbing an unhealthy food, stopping at a fast food restaurant or convenience store on the way home and helps us refrain from tasting many small bites of your afternoon or evening meal as you are preparing it. Remember, those calories add up as well.
Again, these are just samples; pick up packages, read the labels and make your own choices. This is how you will learn to not only broaden your food exposure to new possibilities but you are learning how to change your lifestyle!
- Eat slowly and purposefully
*Enjoy the flavor and the experience of the food you are eating
*Chew your food thoroughly 10-20 times, not 2-3; it takes approximately 20 minutes for your brain to realize your stomach is full. In addition, the saliva aids in digestion and helps you feel full.
- Remember, snacks are not meals; they must be limited but they are necessary and crucial to our success.
One of my favorites: Pop a 100 calorie bag of Kettle Korn, open it carefully and drop in 1-2 TBSP of grated parmesan cheese and some freshly ground black pepper. Close the bag, shake and then enjoy. I eat each kernel individually and it is a flavorful snack. I eat this when I am craving something crunchy after my final meal as my end of the day snack.
Please be sure to journal everything; it is the only true way to know the total calories you are consuming. It is also important to make an entry as to how you are feeling, i.e. happy, sad, lonely, angry ~ in time, you should be able to see a pattern between your emotions and your eating habits. This then gives us a place to start to address a plan of action to make corrections. I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!! Thank you for allowing us to share in your adventure! Now, go make it your reality!!!
| Item | Portion | Calories | ||
| Egg, boiled | 1 lg egg | 92 | ||
| Toast, whole grain, 100% whole wheat | 1 slice | 100 | ||
| I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray Topping | 5 sprays | 0 | ||
| Peanut butter OR | 1 ½ tsp | 50 | ||
| Blackberry Jelly | 1 ½ tsp | 25 | ||
| Bacon, Ready to Serve, Oscar Mayer | 3 slices | 70 | ||
| Coffee | 1 cup | 0 | ||
| Creamer, Caramel, Coffee Mate | 1 TBSP | 30 | ||
| Oatmeal, regular, quick or instant, cooked | 1/3 cup | 104 | ||
| Milk, Cow, Fat-Free, Skim | ½ cup | 45 | ||
| Tea (bag, loose, instant), brewed | 1 cup | 2 | ||
| Splenda, sugar substitute | 1 packet | 2 | ||
| Propel, Mandarin Orange (Various Flavors) | 1 bottle (18.9 fl ox) | 20 | ||
| Walnuts, English | ½ oz | 90 | ||
| Cashews, dry roasted, no salt added (try curried cashews, they're Great ~ especially combined with dried mangos) | 1 TBSP | 49 | ||
| Pumpkin Seeds (and Squash Seeds), dry roasted, no salt | 1 ounce | 148 | ||
| Sunflower Nuts, dry roasted, no salt | 1 TBSP | 47 | ||
| Soy Nuts, Herbalife | 1 package | 130 | ||
| McDonald’s Fruit and Yogurt Parfait, without granola | 1 serving | 130 | ||
| McDonald's Side Salad | 1 serving | 20 | ||
| McDonald's Newman's Own Low-Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing | 1 serving | 40 | ||
| Espresso Hot, Cinnamon Dolce Latte, Starbucks, with sugar free syrup and non-fat milk, no whipped cream | 1 tall (12 oz) | 96 | ||
| Hot coffee, Northern Lite Latte, Caribou Coffee, with sugar free syrup and skim milk, no whipped topping | 1 med (1 pint, 4 oz) | 123 | ||
| Cereal, Cheerios, Original OR | 1 cup | 100 | ||
| Mini Delights, Cinnamon Streusel, Multigrain Cakes, Quaker | 1 individial package | 90 | ||
| Mini Delights, Peanut Butter, Multigrain Cakes, Quaker | 1 individial package | 90 | ||
| Popcorn, Kettle Korn, Pop Secret | 1 individial package | 100 | ||
| Popcorn, Butter Flavor, Pop Secret | 1 individial package | 100 | ||
| Rice Cakes, Caramel Corn, Quaker | 1 cake | 50 | ||
| Sour Cream and Onion Toasted Chips, Baked, Ritz | 14 chips | 130 | ||
| Banana, fresh | 1 small (less than 6" long) | 72 | ||
| Blueberries, fresh | 50 berries (2.4 oz) | 39 | ||
| Apple, fresh | 1 medium (2 3/4" diameter) | 72 | ||
| Mango, fresh | 1 cup | 107 | ||
| Pear, fresh, average all varieties | 1 medium | 96 | ||
| Grapes, green or red | 10 grapes | 34 | ||
| Watermelon, fresh | 1 cup | 46 | ||
| Cantaloupe, fresh | 1 cup | 54 | ||
| Peach, fresh | 1 medium (2 1/2" diameter) | 38 | ||
| Orange, fresh, average all varieties | 1 medium (2 5/8" diameter) | 62 | ||
| Tangerine or Mandarin Orange, fresh | 1 medium (2 3/8' diameter) | 45 | ||
| Raisins, dried fruit | 50 raisins | 78 | ||
| Mango, dried fruit, unsweetened | 1 ounce | 21 | ||
| Creamy Chicken Soup Mix, Protein based, Herbalife (16 g protein, 1 carb) | 1 packet | 80 | ||
| Carrots | 1 medium (6 1/2" long) | 25 | ||
| Celery | 1 medium stalk (7 1/2' long) | 6 | ||
| Tomato | 1 medium (2 3/5" diameter) | 22 | ||
| Yogurts, fruit flavored, fat-free | 1 container (4.4 oz) | 118 | ||
| High Protein Breakfast Bar, South Beach, Cereal, Chocolate | 1 Bar (10 gr protein) | 140 | ||
| High Protein Bar, Herbalife, Deluxe Chocolate Peanut | 1 Bar (10 gr protein) | 140 | ||
| Coffee | 1 cup | 0 | ||
| Creamer, Caramel, Coffee Mate | 1 TBSP | 30 | ||
| Baby Greens, Salad, fresh | 3 cups | 10 | ||
| Green onions | 2 TBSP | 4 | ||
| Tomatoes | 1 thin slice (5 oz) | 3 | ||
| Mushrooms | 2 oz | 2 | ||
| Green peppers | 1 TBSP | 2 | ||
| Pepper Jack Cheese, 2%, Singles, Kraft | 1 Slice | 50 | ||
| Parmesan Cheese, Grated Fresh, Kraft | 2 TBSP | 20 | ||
| Swiss Cheese, No Fat, Singles, Kraft | 1 Slice | 35 | ||
| Beef Jerky, Jack Link's Original | 1 18 oz package | 140 | ||
| Fudgesickles, Blue Bunny, Sweet Freedom | 1 Fudgesickle | 35 | ||
| Popsickles, Sugar-Free, Popsickle Brand | 1 Popsickle Stick | 15 | ||
| Jello, Flavored, Fat-Free, Sugar-Free | 1/2 cup | 10 |
Any ideas you’d like to share? Please place below under comments.
