Summertime Snacktime

Oh how I love food. I am a foodie, a self professed "wait! do you know what your are putting into your tummy?" foodie.  Summertime is for baseball,  trail walking (runs), biking, fun, more fun, ( did I say have fun) and food.   

So we run around ( a-muck ) doing all those summertime things we do....like rushing little Bug (my kid) to his next training session or yourself to your besties backyard for a little R& R (what's wrong with an afternoon cocktail).  Whatever it is that keeps us so very busy busy...the hard fact is we barely make it up to the surface to take a breath, much less pack a snack pack for the day. 

Well it is time to start packing and I mean go to Target and find the largest lunch bag / cooler you can find (they come some fabby colors and look rather chic I should say).  I want to share a few ideas I have on snacks and how to start your day off right so you can have a blast this summer and not want to gnaw your arm off midday from hunger because you are just too busy (ah-hum dorky) to be prepared.

Mindful snacking is a good thing.  The benefits of small, frequent meals are:

• stable blood sugar
• less hunger
• minimal cravings

Eating frequently keeps blood sugar levels on an even keel. Steady blood sugar means Sybil won't unexpectedly appear at your party cause your BS (not bull shitty) got all out of whack. A stable BS will help maintain balance to your mood, increase brain functions (you all know I could use that) and more energy. Yay!

Waiting too long between meals can lead to impulsive choices (bad for me) or overeating. OK, little something to share:  Did you know that it takes 20 minutes, longer for those of us with unstable BS(above) haha, for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full? Moral of story, eat slowly. A song comes to my mind: 

SOS means somebody help me, it ain't healthy for me to feel this way

Just saying. So pack healthy snacks, especially for when you leave the office so you have something to snack on the way home. This will circumvent eating yourself out of pantry and home while you are preparing dinner. Tasty snacks like apples, nuts, cheese aide in the prevention of a girl going down for the count with the bag of m&m's in hand.  Again, just saying.

Make your snacks nutrient dense. Fresh food gives you more bang for your buck when it comes to nutrition with fewer calories to boot. Pack items that offer a good balance of protein, carbs, and good fats. Yes fat.  Also keep and eye on the salt and sugar content of your snack.  As always, minimally processed foods are best..don't be fooled by the package appeal. Flip over the snack and read the ingredient list. If you can't read it drop it now.  Foreign words usually mean processing ...especially when the list is long.  Look for snacks with short food ingredient lists and ingredients you recognize.  As always, avoid the fake sugars please.

Be prepared. The night before pack your snack pack: cut up veges, portioned hummus & nut butter, rice cakes, or some nuts just to name a few.  Remember balance.  Protein, Carb, Fat are all included. Also, begin your day with a balanced breakfast. This will carry you through to snack time.  Try to include fiber with breakfast which, along with P/C/F, help satiate hunger and maintain a level BS till your next meal. 

Breakfast Ideas:

• veges for fiber with your scrambled eggs: Onions, peppers, & chopped spinach with avocado (aka good fat) as a garnish
• fiber-full protein smoothie:  one apple cored chopped, 1/2 C frozen or fresh berries, 1 T cashew butter, juice of a lemon, 1/2 cup of water. Blend.  Add spinach if you like, blend. Then  add protein with final blend. 
• oatmeal with berries of choice, few almonds. Pour shaker cup of prepared vanilla whey protein to thin cereal.
• beans and brown rice with salsa and avocado

So off with you into the wild blue yonder. Have a blast but don't forget your snack pack.  Check out my page on fuel or favs to get more on-the-go snacking ideas.

Be Well.