Eating healthier and staying fit can be as simple as choosing the right snacks
and taking hold of those mid-afternoon cravings.
Pierrette Buklis, registered dietitian, MHSc., for General Mills Canada,
says a lot of times people are thinking “I’m hungry, I’m going to grab
something,” and they don’t put any thought into what it is they’re
consuming.
“Snacking is becoming such a way of life for us that we really have to be
conscious of how those choices play with the rest of our meal selections,” says
Buklis.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, whether you’re trying to lose weight or
not, comes with choosing the right snack. Buklis suggests keeping in mind the
snack itself should be well planned out so it completes the things you need
throughout the day, and it shouldn’t be too big.
“The portion size is really important and people have to think about what
they’re eating. It’s not supposed to fill you up and cause you not to be hungry
anymore,” she says. “It’s really supposed to be about making you take the edge
off that hunger so that you can get to your next meal without
over-indulging.”
A snack should land somewhere in the neighbourhood of about 100-200
calories, something that’s easy for you to have on hand when that snack attack
hits.
“Something you can keep in your office or keep in a fridge if you have
one nearby, those are really the kinds of things you should be thinking about
reaching for,” says Buklis. “They should be something that contributes
nutritional punch.”
