How often to eat a healthy snack

October 28, 8:20 AMBirmingham Extreme Training ExaminerMelanie Lyons

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Combining foods in the correct porportions
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How often to eat diet snacks is just as important as what you eat no matter which diet plan you are trying.  Eating often in small amounts, which is often referred to as grazing, is recommended to keep your metabolism charged up.  Diet plans that encourage you to eat 5 to 6 meals/snacks a day will accomplish that, as well as, supply you with enough energy even one with calorie restrictions.  Ideally you would eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks while never allowing more than 4 hours to pass between meals and snacks.  The snack servings should contain about 100 to 150 calories.  Drinking 8 to 10 ounces of water with your snack will help you feel fuller and more satisfied.  Wait at least an hour after your meal or snack before working out.  This gives the snack time to be converted to usable energy and the blood cells used in digestion will now be available to transport oxygen for your workout.  Finally, enjoy a guilt-free, post-workout diet snack immediately after your workout. You have earned it and your body will need it for recovery.    

Zone Diet Snacks

Proponents of the Zone Diet would recommend 3 meals a day balanced with 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent from lean proteins and 30 percent from healthy fats with zone diet snacks 2 times a day in between meals.  These zone diet snacks also have the same composition but are smaller than meals at about 100 calories.  Eating fruits and vegetables raw or slightly cooked is encouraged.  Some examples are:

• ¼ cup cottage cheese, ½ cup of fruit and nuts
• 1 oz string cheese, ½ cup fruit or vegetable
• 1 oz lean turkey with ½ cup fruit or vegetable
• 1 cup of whole milk
• ¾ cup of Morning surprise

Low Carb Diet Snacks

Atkins Dieter’s and low carb dieter’s can combine many foods together as long as the total digestible sugars are low.  There is a lot of flexibility in these diets if you use sugar free products. Many of your favorite recipes can be modified by replacing sugars with splenda.  It just takes a little creativity with some trial and error.  Some suggestions are:

• 1 Deli rollup
• ½ cup Mandarin Delight
• Sugar Free Jell-O Pudding
• Protein shake
• Protein bar

Healthy Recipes

• Mandarin Delight - Combine cottage cheese, mandarin oranges and sugar free orange jell and chill overnight; Serving is ½ cup
• Protein Shake – Combine 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder, 1 cup fresh fruit, 1 cup skim milk, ½ cup ice.  Blend into a smoothie.
• Deli rollup – Layer deli sandwich meat, sliced cheese, a vegetable.  Roll up and fasten with a toothpick and olive.
• Morning surprise – Add cinnamon, walnuts, flaxseed oil, and splenda to cooked oatmeal.