Are your clients replacing
meals with snacks?
According to the Department of Agriculture (USDA), snacking occasions have dramatically increased. Nearly 1 in 6 adults obtain over 40 percent of their total daily calories from snacks.1 It is crucial to identify eating occasions, food choices, and areas for dietary intervention because a higher snacking frequency is usually associated with a higher daily total caloric intake. Healthful snack choices may help lower the risk of certain diseases and promote a healthy weight status.
Here are a few healthy snacking tips
you could provide your clients:
Hunger
A planned healthy inter-meal snack decreases hunger and keeps clients from overeating at mealtime. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, snacks can provide 200-300 calories, depending on overall activity level. Suggesting to your client to eat different combinations of foods in snacks such as a mashed avocado with salsa and low-fat cheese on a whole grain tortilla can be satisfying and may help curb hunger.
Location and Environment
Food accessibility can also influence snacking. High-calorie, processed foods may be the easiest choice without proper meal planning. Snacks that are planned and portioned out ahead of time are essential. Satisfy your client’s sweet tooth while adding variety to the snack routine with Chocolate Almond Avocado Oat Bites or encouraging your clients with a savory craving to pre-make these Better-for-You Individual 7-Layer Snack Cups. The fiber from these recipes adds bulk to the diet and can help your clients feel fuller faster and manage weight.
Mindless Eating
Snacking without hunger may also lead to unwanted weight gain. A great healthy snacking tip is to encourage clients to rate their hunger level before reaching for a snack to avoid mindless or emotional eating (bored, stressed, and tired). If they are not hungry but choose to eat anyway, recommend a high fiber and water snack that will fill the stomach quickly, such as guacamole with cut-up vegetables. Seventy-nine percent of an avocado’s weight is fiber and water. Fiber-containing foods like avocados help provide a feeling of fullness but with fewer calories.
1 What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted.
For additional, delicious avocado snack ideas for any occasion, click here.
