Mindful Snacking at Home
Being home all day is hard. In the last few months, we’ve all lost a few pieces of our routines that once were integral to our daily lives, be that our commutes, water cooler chat, or coffee runs. There are so many reasons that being home all day is hard, but we really didn’t anticipate this one: snacking. With all-day access to our favorite foods, it can be extremely challenging to stay on track with our health and fitness goals. So, we’ve come up with some tips for you to practice mindful snacking from your humble abode.
Stock Up With Feel-Good Foods & Bevs
It seems almost too simple, but the best hack to healthy snacking? Buy healthy snacks. Stock up your fridge with fresh fruit (apple season, anyone?) and you’ll eat fresh fruit. Stock up your pantry with nuts and air-popped popcorn, and that’s what you’ll reach for. The next time you go shopping, keep your future snacker self in mind. What foods make you feel good? When you’re craving something salty, what healthy snack would curb that craving? It’s not always easy to know what substitutes will satisfy, but here are some of our tips:
- To sip on: Try stocking up on naturally flavored water or sparkling water, like Hint orAHA, to curb your cravings for a sweet drink with or after your meal.
- For your sweet tooth: If you want something crunchy and sweet to munch on, try apples and almond butter or frozen grapes. Or try gr8nola Cacao Crisp granola with plant-based milk of your choice for a healthy “Cocoa Krispies” fix.
- When you want something salty: Try a hard-boiled egg with yummy Everything seasoning! Or, go for a delicious protein source like these Chomps turkey jerky sticks.
- Just want a crunch?: Popcorn. Try to go for air-popped or butterless. Trader Joe’s has some awesome pre-popped options for when you’re in a rush.
Are You Bored, Stressed, Or Hungry?
When you’re home with basically nothing to do and nowhere to go, it can be super easy to mix up hunger with boredom. Next time you start your journey to the fridge or pantry, ask yourself a few questions. Would an apple satisfy you right now? Would a hard-boiled egg? Or neither? These questions will assess whether your body is in need of carbs or in need of fats/proteins. Trusting your body is key to fueling it properly, and your body will tell you if it needs something. If neither of those options sounds desirable, it’s likely that you’re just bored or stressed. Go on a walk, sip on some flavored water, or chew some gum instead.
Try A Meditation
It sounds silly, but there are tons of meditations out there for mindful eating. When you’re about to embark on a snacking journey, try sitting down and completing a quick 10-minute mindful eating meditation. This will help you get on the same page as your body by forcing you to focus all of your attention on your internal cues. Take the guesswork out of intuitive eating by actually connecting with your body.
Pre-Portion Your Snacks
To avoid falling into the bottomless pit that is your stocked pantry, portion out your snacks ahead of time. This isn’t about calorie counting — just making sure your next snack doesn’t spoil dinner. Use tupperware or reusable snack baggies to portion out servings of your favorite snacks. This tip is also a great way to keep enjoying your favorite “guilty” snacks without worrying about overdoing it. We promise you will enjoy and savor that one rich piece of dark chocolate far more than when the rest of the bar is in front of you, begging you to binge.
If you don’t have the time (or the motivation) to portion out each of your snacks yourself, spend the extra buck on pre-portioned versions of your favorite snacks. We love SnackMagic for finding an assortment of healthy(ish) snacks that can be delivered straight to your door.
Schedule Snack Time
When you have all-day access to snacks, it can feel like a free-for-all. Any time becomes snack time, which is dangerous for your body’s digestion. Instead of waiting until you’re bored or stressed, decide first thing in the morning when you will be having your snacks that day. We recommend scheduling them between meals (one early afternoon, one late afternoon), but you can choose whatever works best with your at-home lifestyle. Try scheduling with your housemates or family members, not just so you can enjoy some company, but because you’re much less likely to binge in the company of others.
Whatever you choose to snack, incorporating some or all of these mindful snacking techniques into your routine will help keep you on track and, more importantly, will remind you that food is fuel to get you through your day. Being at home all day certainly isn’t easy — but looking forward to tiny moments of healthy indulgence will only help get you through.
About the Author: Jenna Movsowitz is a Content Writer for gr8nola. gr8nola is delicious, low sugar granola made with unique & functional superfoods created to help you eat, feel, and be your best. The gr8nola team is passionate about inspiring and helping you achieve gr8ness in your daily life by fueling your body with only the best ingredients.
