It’s always a great idea to keep healthy snacks on hand, such as baby carrots, celery sticks, hummus, fruit slices, pretzels, and almonds… but sometimes you just have to satisfy an inner craving for a sweet or savory indulgence. It’s okay to buy your favorite junk foods on occasion, but if you have a tendency to go through a quart of ice cream or a bag of chips in a few days, like I do, then these tips might help:
Don’t eat in front of the TV.
Many of us chow down on chips while watching our favorite shows not because we are actually hungry, but simply because we are used to snacking there. And when your brain is occupied with something besides what you’re eating, it’s hard to truly savor and appreciate what’s going into our mouths.
If you want a filling TV snack, try baby carrots and Creamy Hummus or Tahini Yogurt Dip, or apple slices with a tablespoon of peanut butter or sunflower butter.
Never eat directly from a snack bag.
This applies to chips, cookies, crackers, and anything else you might eat out of the original container. It’s hard to judge how much you’ve eaten, and it’s so easy to underestimate the actual quantity you’ve consumed. While single-serving packages of these snacks are convenient, it’s more cost-effective and environmentally responsible to buy a standard-size bag. I put a handful directly on my plate and then place the big bag back in the pantry (or, if I’m packing a lunch, I put them in a small reusable container). This is an easy way to work on portion control.
With ice cream, don’t eat directly from the carton.
That pint of delicious ice cream is, sadly, not one serving, but more like three or four. For portion control, don’t eat right out of the carton, but instead put one or two scoops into a small bowl. Ice cream in a small bowl will look a lot more satisfying than the same amount in a large bowl. My teenage son thinks it’s fun to eat ice cream with this tiny demitasse/appetizer spoon we have – and I like it too, because I take smaller bites and the ice cream lasts longer.
You can always tell yourself that if you really MUST have more when you are finished with the first serving, then you can go get more. That small amount can often be enough to satisfy your craving, though.
Soft drink cans over large bottles.
With soft drinks, although it’s often more economical to buy a two-liter bottle, I always feel compelled to finish it off before it goes flat. Twelve-ounce cans help with portion control, and often the larger packages are sale-priced to where they’re no more expensive per ounce than two-liter bottles. Be sure to put all those empty cans in the recycling bin (rinse them first) instead of the trash! The smartest thing you can do, though, is to switch from sugary sodas to plain or flavored seltzer water (like LaCroix). No calories, no sugar, no guilt, and you still get that delightfully bubbly mouthfeel.