I think I will sound fairly reasonable if I say that pretty much all of us at some point of our lives made this huge nutritional mistake. You wonder which one exactly I am referring to? Well, it’s actually not that hard to guess. Do you remember that horrible period of your life when you decided to limit your food intake in order to shed a few pounds. Not only that the effects of doing this were temporary and unhealthy, it made you feel weak, and, let’s be frank here, miserable.
From a very young age, we are constantly reminded about the importance of having 3 full meals a day. And it is very true! However, very often we forget how important it is to SNACK in between meals.
There are many health benefits of snacking *snacking HEALTHY! just in case, haha!*:
- Prevent overeating
- Proper fueling = fit extra nutrients in your diet
- Curb your cravings
- Weight control
- Sustain energy levels
- Healthy recovery
It is important to remember that your snacks will vary depending on your fitness activity. I found an excellent article at Runner’s World *suprise, surprise* called 25 Great Snacks for Runners. Some of them are: bananas, carrots, chocolate milk, cottage cheese, apricots, rice cakes with peanut butter, string cheese. You see? Snacking CAN be fun!
Since not all of the readers of my blog are runners, I decided to look for some interesting ideas that could be of help to the general public. I found the following Infographic which I really really liked!
Can I snack instead of having my meals?!?! *JUST KIDDING!* But really though, those are some yummy options, wouldn’t you agree?
What are your favorite snacks? How often do you snack?
xoxo
Olena
candies & crunches 
I’ve never been a snack person, which sounds crazy. 3 big meals every day but very rarely snacks!
I am the same way 🙂 I’m simply trying to sustain energy levels throughout the day and avoid from getting too hungry haha! It’s never good 😀
I am a huge proponent of snacking. I usually snack at least 2x a day, my go to’s are a handful of almonds, carrots and hummus or a piece of fruit. I literally couldn’t make it through the day without snacking!
I love hummus with celery! Oh, and I absolutely have to have a banana in the morning and another fruit in the afternoon 🙂
Yum yum I love my snacks. They help me get through the day without being ravenous and then I don’t go overboard come lunch and dinner. And I especially love a giant scoop of peanut butter!
Yup! That’s my main reason 🙂 If not, I get super hungry by supper and eat way more than I should 😀
I completely agree with you here – sometimes I think I’m “losing weight” by not eating after a run, but really I’m just hurting my recovery. In fact, I had to stop focusing completely on losing weight as I trained for my 100k because it was hurting my training and recovery. I’ve decided a body that can run 31 miles doesn’t need to lose weight. There. I said it.
I could only imagine! It’d be horrible if you had an energy crush midway your run!
I love to snack on yogurt, nuts, fruit and peanut butter, and veggie sticks. I know some people can do 3 big meals a day but I’m definitely a snacker, I just need a little something to hold me over in between meals.
I’ve been more of a 3 big meals per day kind of girl, but it’s been changing as of last summer 🙂 I definitely see benefits!
I’m not a big snack person unless I have a long run coming up! I love an apple with cheese or a cup of popcorn. I could eat anything with cheese all day long!
Mmmmm… cheese! I concur!
These are great suggestions! I love snacking to keep my metabolism up, but of course I’ll only really eat when I’m hungry. I have a sensitive stomach when it comes to prerunning, though, like nuts will upset me on a run. But my go-to is oats or a banana!
Love bananas! I want to experiment with overnight oats. Have you tried them?
Oo! I love Runner’s World. When I signed up for my first race I got 3-4 issues free. It was awesome. Then I had to cancel cuz I didn’t have the money. 😦
My fav snack is almond butter on rice cakes with a drizzle of honey on top. Actually, I love that more as a dessert too. So I guess my fav snack would be some pumpkin flax granola. So yummy!! Especially if you eat it with a banana! Dip the banana in it, take a bit, pure yum!
Omg! I’ll have to try that! I also love drizzling honey over peanut butter 🙂 though, it’s probably not the best idea if I want to cut down on sweets haha!
Omg I love snacking, one of my favorites is yogurt with strawberries and crunchy granola on top 🙂
Mmmmmm! Sounds almost like a desert to me! 😀
Pingback: Spring Cleaning Your Home And Body 101: 3 Eco-Friendly DIY Household Cleaner Recipes & 6 Great Short-Term Challenges For Your Health | candies & crunches