Healthy Snacking

It’s so easy to stop and grab a snack at the gas station. Or the vending machine. Or the pantry where you proceed to eat an entire bag of Goldfish in one sitting (guilty). Snacking is a huge area where if you fail to plan, most of the time you’ll find yourself stuck and hungry. No one wants that. Have a back up plan.

Because of my stomach issues, I can’t eat very much at once. I eat small portions about every two hours (if I can).  And when I’m working out regularly I find that I’m constantly hungry.

This will probably happen to you as you become consistent in your fitness journey. It is completely normal but you need to really pay attention to the things you’re putting into your body as a result of all those munchies. Processed and fried foods are simply not the way to go. They’re empty calories that really don’t do much for your hunger. If you find yourself starving in between meals, reach for some good stuff instead. And please beware of granola bars and the like in the store. Most of those are laden with sugar. Protein bars as well. Many of them are high in protein, which is nice to keep you feeling full, but can be high in fat, carbs and sugar too. Always check the labels.

• • Cottage cheese (low or non fat) 

• • Nuts

• • Whole grain bread with peanut butter

• • Celery sticks with peanut butter

• • An apple with peanut butter (I really like peanut butter….)
  • Hummus and veggies
  • Guacamole and salsa with veggies

• • A cheese stick (you know those individually wrapped ones you pack in school lunches?)

• • These protein bites

• • Boiled eggs

• • A piece of fruit

• • One of these protein smoothies

• • Lightly salted popcorn (NO butter/cheese/artificial flavors)

• • Beef jerky (tasty, but pretty high in sodium, make sure you’re not eating it all the time)
  • My Harvest Muffins

I like to set myself up for success every Sunday evening/night. I’ll boil, peel and bag some eggs, slice and bag celery or carrots, bake some Harvest muffins, or put cottage cheese (liberally splashed with Cholula) into small tupperwares. These things don’t take much time (unless you’re baking the muffins, then set aside a little over an hour) and they set me up for success during a busy week.

Remembering to grab your snacks on your way out the door is another matter. I’ve yet to master that. Any tips? Do share in the comments or on Insta!! Go ahead and include #JennaDanielleFitness so I can see what you’re snacking on!