Especially when you take a moment to relax and binge-watch Netflix, it can be easy to fall victim to unhealthy snacking.
You pop open a bag of butter popcorn planning to have just a few and end up licking every last crumb off your fingers and pouring the little broken pieces into your mouth.
Most of the time, unhealthy snacking is mindless snacking – meaning that you eat without thinking about what you are doing.
It happens when you’re eating for comfort or your mind is sidetracked by distractions such as watching television or scrolling Instagram.
Boredom can also cause you to act mindlessly when you’re around food even if you are not actually hungry so you end up adding excess calories.
Or, you can simply experience cravings for unhealthy snacks, causing you to regularly munch on potato chips or pastries.
Of course, no one’s telling you to quit snacking forever.
After all, the occasional bag of fruit jellies isn’t going to sabotage all of your weight loss goals or send your health downslope.
However, if you find yourself snacking a lot more often than you should and believe that mindless munchies are stalling your fitness success, try these tips to give up creamy, sugary, fatty, high-calorie morsels.
1. Stay hydrated
Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking water and other fluids. Hunger can sometimes be confused with thirst.
In fact, research revealed that 37% of people mistake thirst for hunger.
According to Mayo Clinic, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that women should drink about 11.5 cups (2.7 litres) of fluids per day to stay hydrated.
2. Identify snacking patterns
Try to identify when, why, and where you snack in between meals. Is it because you’re bored, stressed or anxious?
Or, do you snack just because it’s snack o’clock?
Becoming aware of snacking patterns is the first step to overcoming them so you can keep your energy intake under control.
3. Eat with your non-dominant hand
According to Dr Susan Alberts, PsyD and psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, eating with your non-dominant hand may help you put an end to mindless eating.
It may feel awkward, but this can actually help you consciously engage with what you eat, so you are more aware of your food choices.
4. Balance your blood sugar
Fluctuations in your blood sugar levels can contribute to food cravings and energy dips which may trigger unhealthy snacking.
That’s why it is important that you eat a balanced diet and choose foods that do not cause blood sugar spikes.
To keep your blood sugar stable, you should avoid consuming refined carbohydrates such as white bread or pasta or sweetened dairy products such as fruit yoghurt.
Otherwise, your body will quickly digest the sugar in these foods and send a signal to your brain that it’s time to eat again.
5. Take the broccoli test
Before grabbing a snack, ask yourself, “Would I eat this if it were a bunch of broccoli?”
If your answer is no, it means you are not hungry enough, so you’re eating for reasons other than hunger.
Then, try to identify your true hunger (you may want to eat to ease stress or you’re simply craving comfort) so you can shift your focus from eating to addressing your real need masked as feelings of hunger.
6. Find healthy alternatives to snacking
As long as you’re making healthy choices, snacking in itself isn’t a bad habit.
Maybe you could eat a handful of nuts instead of a bag of potato chips.
Or, you may want to choose homemade chocolate protein balls instead of those commercial chip cookies.
There are many healthy, weight-loss-friendly snacks you can add to your diet to replace unhealthy snacks.
7. Keep your hands busy
When you are involved in an activity or hobby that keeps your hands busy, you are less likely to snack mindlessly.
So, instead of binge-watching Netflix or mindlessly scrolling Instagram, find an activity or hobby that you enjoy, such as drawing, painting, playing an instrument, or even taking a bubble bath.
Or, you can simply fold some laundry while watching TV in the evenings to keep your hands busy.
8. Buy smaller snack packages
Portion sizes influence how many extra calories you add to your diet.
On your next grocery haul, choose smaller snack packages or single-serve packages.
You can also use portion control containers to divide your snacks into smaller portions.
Avoid buying snacks in bulk, even if it saves you time and money, especially when you get special discounts.
9. Avoid snacking while multitasking
In today’s digital world, many of us eat while distracted by multitasking on several screens.
In fact, study revealed that people who feel stressed while multitasking tend to eat more unhealthy snacks.
That’s why when you snack, it’s best to put away your phone, computer or iPad and just focus on what you’re putting in your mouth.
This can help you maintain an in-the-moment awareness of the food you’re eating, so you’re less likely to snack mindlessly.
10. Listen to your hunger cues
When you’re anxious, stressed, tired, mad, or sad, your brain releases cortisol, which can stimulate the appetite.
For this reason, you may turn to food – mostly sugary, hyperpalatable, high-calorie snacks.
Listening to your hunger cues before grabbing a snack can help you improve your eating behaviours. For example, when you are really hungry, you may experience problems such as stomach growling or low energy.
On the other hand, if you are craving a specific food, chances are you eat because it gives you comfort, not because you are actually hungry.
Also, it is important that you pay attention as you eat so that you know when you’re full and it’s time to stop.
11. Make getting to snacks inconvenient
Typically, you tend to snack more when food is easy to access.
However, if you purposely keep your favourite snacks out of your home you may crave them even more.
That’s why it can be a good idea to store your snacks far away in harder-to-reach places (such as places that require a step ladder to reach) – this can make you think twice about whether you really need the snacks.
You may also want to seal a snack box with plastic tape or staple a snack bag to make your access to snacks more inconvenient.
12. Change up your routine
As John C. Maxwell – the world’s foremost leadership expert – once said, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
For example, if you always associate working from home or scrolling Instagram with munching on potato chips, maybe it’s time to change your daily routine.
You can make small changes in your routine such as watching your favourite TV show in the bathtub where snacks are out of your sight.
Or, instead of watching TV or scrolling Instagram, you can opt for activities that can really benefit you physically and mentally (e.g., walking, practising self-care, reading, etc.).
13. Get enough sleep
When you don’t get enough sleep, it becomes difficult for your body to regulate the hormones causing feelings of hunger. This makes it harder for you to resist a snack.
In fact, a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shows that sleep deprivation can lead to unhealthy snacking tendencies.
Getting enough quality sleep is important to control your appetite, so you should never cut back on your sleep (not even for work or family demands). Instead, try to effectively prioritise daily activities and improve time management.
14. Find ways to de-stress
Anxiety and stress are some of the most common reasons why people snack mindlessly.
If you notice that you typically grab a snack when you are anxious or stressed, try to find ways to de-stress and let go of negative feelings.
Many techniques can help you calm down when stress strikes, such as breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, stretching, hot baths, massages, etc.
15. Avoid alcohol
According to a study cited by NDTV, alcohol consumption may lead to unhealthy snacking.
This is because alcohol tends to lower our inhibitions while also stimulating our appetite.
For this reason, you’re more likely to end up munching on potato chips or deep-fried peanuts while having a beer or grabbing some cheese pastries on a glass of wine.
If you often indulge in a glass of wine or beer, try to replace them with healthier alternatives, such as honey lemonade or sparkling water with fruit slices and mint.
The Bottom Line
Enjoying a sugary snack every once in a while won’t hinder your weight loss efforts.
But constant snacking is a surefire way to blow your daily calorie count while also increasing your risk for certain diseases.
While changing your eating behaviours won’t happen overnight, applying one or more of the tips above is a good place to start.
They will help you avoid frequent snacking so that you can slowly replace mindless munchies with healthy, nutrient-dense snacks.
Sources:
National Library of Medicine – Snacking patterns throughout the life span: potential implications on health Michigan State University – Multiple screen use affects snack choices