“Snack Sins”
Here are 5 “snack sins” you won’t want to commit:
- Skipping snacks due to undesired food options or poor timing. Let’s play out a scenario here. Say you plan to eat 5 “meals” in a given day- breakfast, AM snack, lunch, PM snack, dinner. Come time for your PM snack, you choose not to eat it because you either didn’t plan ahead and don’t have appetizing options, or you feel rushed going from work to your next activity. You didn’t consume an over-satiating lunch because you had planned to consume a PM snack, so you are absolutely RAVENOUS when you get to dinner. One of the biggest things I preach is to NOT overeat at dinner. But what are you going to do if it comes time for your evening meal and you are feeling ravenous? I think we all see the problem here…
- Eating too large of a snack prior to exercise. For me personally, the biggest problem with this is that it would cause an unpleasant stomachache. From talking to my clients about their pre-workout snack experiences, I know that I am not alone in this. Perhaps the stomachache becomes so severe to the point where you are unable to finish your workout, in which case your body may end up storing that extra energy as fat rather than burning it as fuel. Definitely nothing gained from trying to play catch-up on your calories for the day, especially right before your workout!
- Failure to plan snacks for the day. Truly, this “snack sin” can cause one to commit the two sins listed above. One of the truest quotes I have ever heard: “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” I don’t think much additional explanation is needed here, as we all know what happens when we fail to plan ahead. (MASS CHAOS!)
- Skipping post-exercise recovery snacks. Post-workout is probably the most important time to consume an adequate snack. Within 30 minutes of completing a workout, it is recommended to consume ~20g protein + 20-60g carbohydrates (exact amounts vary based on the individual). Such a snack is vital to maximizing muscle protein synthesis. Muscle protein has a faster resting metabolism than does fat mass, and our basal metabolic rate (aka- resting metabolism) is responsible for 60-75% of the calories we burn in a given day. Thus, it may be inferred that muscle protein synthesis is essential for success in weight loss.
- Limiting snacks to only processed, pre-packaged foods. I’ve hit on this point in some of my previous snack blogs, but I am hitting on it again because I MEAN IT!!! Though I do preach to many of my clients to always keep a protein bar on-hand for times of emergency, I will always encourage the consumption of whole foods over processed alternatives. The food marketing industry has brainwashed us to believe that the term “snack” solely refers to individually packaged, processed foods. But no, snack just refers to a smaller quantity of food than that which comprises a meal. Just as you would do for meals, aim to consume one high-protein food + at least 1 complementary whole food for snack.
If you are in need of some creative snack suggestions, check out the MBM Meal Manual. It contains a variety of snack suggestions, including both savory and sweet!
