Healthy Snacking for Weight Control

By Tom Jordan, MS, RD

Maintaining a healthy weight obviously requires a good nutrition plan and regular physical activity, but more important than the specific diet and exercises you do is how sustainable the plan is.  Anything we can do to make the plan easier makes it more effective.  One of the easiest pieces to implement is developing a habit of healthy snacking.

In a recent study, researchers tracked people’s food logs over a long period of time and identified a few snack habits that correlated to a reduction in weight gain over time.  What foods topped the list?  Yogurt and Nuts… which happen to be the perfect afternoon snack.  As with any food, portion control is still important, so we recommend pre-portioning nuts, or purchasing the 100 calorie packs of almonds or walnuts. Pairing this with some light yogurt in the afternoon is a great way to curb hunger and reduce total calorie intake.

Aiming for Quality
Other top treats for maintaining a Fit & Trim figure? Fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.  Not a big surprise… but what was surprising was that the 20-year study did uncover that in this case, it wasn’t about how much of these foods people ate, but what they ate.  Researchers think that by filling up on the more nutrient rich and fiber containing foods, people naturally feel more satisfied, which leads to lower total calorie intake.

Retraining Taste Buds
Teaching your taste buds to enjoy those nutrient dense alternatives is a home run approach to preventing weight gain as you age.  It doesn’t usually happen in a day, but over time we see patients adapt to enjoying healthy food even more than the processed, sugary, greasy items they used to binge on.  As a healthy side effect, the healthy food options also increase energy levels and stave off chronic diseases that can further sideline us and disable our health.

Ready to make a change?  Check out our Programs page for upcoming wellness programs or contact our Wellness Director at FHAnutrition@sbcglobal.net to see which program would be best for you.