Snack Attack -Help I'm trapped!

 Snack Attack -Help I'm trapped! 

Do you feel like you are a slave to snacking? Whether it's late night, mindless snacking throughout the day or a fixation to always munch on something, you are not alone and there is hope to work on this! 

Let's break this down first and foremost to identify what your areas you'd like to work on are and where do they stem from. 

As a kid, did you have similar habits or is this is this a new formed habit? 

Do you tend to go towards a certain taste like sweet or salty? 

Is there a texture you are after or a feeling like a crunch or liquid?

How often are you feeling the actual hunger pang in your body and how often are you feeling the fullness stretch in your body? 

Once you have identified these areas we can move forward to work on each of them to slowly (not abrupt cold turkey) work on changing these. 

Here are 10 strategies to reduce snacking:

1.) Invest in quality vitamins to take each day. You may be going after snacks because you are deficient and your body is telling you to go search for it. Vitamins may be able to fill that void and give your body that missing nutrient. 

2.) Drink more water and less flavored liquid. Water does many things, it can flush out toxins and keep organs functioning properly and it can also balance the stomach acids. Most flavored liquids are either sugar filled or include some sort of artificial flavors. These can trigger the need for snacking because they trick the bodies insulin levels to rise. 

3.) Opt for smaller nutrient denser snacks to satisfy. Instead of going for a 1oz bag of chips. Go for 1oz of pistachios. They both weight the same but when your body goes for the nutrient concentration and the density. 

4.) If you are a late night snacker, try a high protein night cap. When you feel yourself go to the kitchen after dinner, opt for a protein shake, or a recipe that includes a large amount of protein over any other macro. This is great for digestion at night. 

5.) Plan out your weekly snacks on Sunday and stick to them. Put the snacks in baggies and stick to the same ones each day. Go for a variety in sweet and salty. Stagger in the day when you know you are hungriest. 

6.) If you are snacking because you are bored then this may require a complete change of scenery for you. Rearrange your work desk, schedule a walk during high boredom times or find a way to satisfy your hands and brain with distraction techniques. 

7.) If you have a sweet tooth and struggle with breaking the sugar habit, slowly ween each day to one less snack that is high in sugar by replacing it with a new fruit. Buy 5 individual fruits from the grocery store and eat one new one a day. Kiwi, mango, pear, peach, dragonfruit, starfruit, melons, cherries and the list goes on. As you replace 1, try 2 and so on until you are rewiring your sweet tooth to fructose instead.

8.) If you are a big lover of salt, try to add a dash of pink Himalayan salt to your food instead. Instead of getting high salty snacks like chips, try to add a small small dash of pink Himalayan salt to your meals and even your drinks! It can make a big difference. Also ensure you are drinking adequate water with this. 

9.) Balance your meals and eat them on a regular timed basis. While some maintain breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you need to ensure no matter what time you first consume food in the day, you need to balance the meal with protein, carbs and fats. When in doubt, lean heavy on the protein. 

10.) Finally, evaluate each time you are going for the snack to decide if it is serving your goals. If you are struck with guilt, shame or other negative feelings when you are snacking, the please evaluate this and identify how you can change this. Affirm each snack is fueling your body and driving you towards your goals and be thankful for each bite you take. 

Hope this list was helpful even if you just found 1 to be helpful for you! Share your takeaways and any epiphany in the comments below.