The one thing that is a constant focus when it comes to weight loss is eating less. Less calories, less carbs, less fat, you name it. It can be really demoralizing, which is why that messaging isn’t typically helpful.
While calories play a role in weight loss outcomes, that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing. In fact, as long as you’re still not overeating, adding more food, like snacks, throughout the day can actually help you reach your weight loss goals.
It always shocks people to hear that eating more can help with weight loss, yet it’s not a taboo thing to suggest among registered dietitians and other healthcare professionals. When you think about snacks, you probably assume we’re talking about chips, pretzels, candy, or animal crackers.
However, snacks are also fruit, cheese sticks, edamame, and veggies with dip. Eating enough food helps you feel satisfied from day to day and helps you to stop constantly thinking about food. Typical unhealthy snack foods like chips and candy don’t contain much (if any) fiber or micronutrients because they get stripped during processing.
Well-balanced snacks that feature a mix of protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs between meals help promote fullness and decrease the risk of overeating. Prioritizing these three components helps maintain stable blood sugars, which helps decrease cravings so that once mealtime rolls around, you’re able to think more clearly and stay on track.
3 Healthy Snack Ideas
Greek Yogurt Parfaits
Parfaits aren’t just good for breakfast. One standard serving container of non-fat Greek Yogurt contains about 17 grams of protein. You can then use it as a blank canvas for adding fiber-rich berries or other fruits and a drizzle of nut butter for healthy fats.
Hard Boiled eggs, nuts, and apple slices
Eggs provide protein, nuts of any kind will provide healthy fats, and apples are rich in energizing carbs alongside fiber and micronutrients.
Hummus, veggies, and a cheese stick
Hummus is essentially blended chickpeas with aromatics and olive oil, so you’re getting some plant-based protein and healthy fats from that. It serves as a great vehicle for cold veggies like snap peas, carrots, or bell peppers. To round out the protein even more, a cheese stick on the side makes this a satisfying snack you’ll want to repeat again and again.
Bottom Line
It might seem counterintuitive to make room for more times to eat throughout the day rather than less when you’re trying to lose weight, but eating a small snack between meals could actually be key to helping you stay on track better.
Some people do well with three larger meals per day, while others do better with moderate-sized ones and including a snack or two to get by. Sometimes, restricting too much and not finding an eating pattern that is sustainable is what leads to overeating — when if you’re on a diet.
This article I just read on StudyFinds obviously wasn’t based on a study. Eating more food than you would have otherwise cannot possibly cause weight loss. Eating less total food (atoms) is the only way to lose weight (lose atoms) and weigh less on the scale (total mass of atoms in your body). Please don’t waste people’s time with BS articles…