A friend of my mom's took her granddaughters for a girls day out, which concluded with taking them for ice cream. The oldest granddaughter said she didn't want any ice cream because she had already had her "happy snack" for the day. Apparently, she is on a swim team, and the coach set the rule of one "happy snack" per day to increase the healthy food choices they are making. I love how easy this concept is for children and adults alike to grasp. With childhood obesity spiraling out of control, teaching our children to make good nutritional choices is more important than ever.
As I have said on this blog so many times before, eating healthy is all about moderation. Diets don't work because they make you feel deprived. When you are told that you can't eat something that you love, you can't think of anything other than eating that food. In the end, you are going to try to satisfy the craving with other foods, and then eventually binge on the thing you have really been craving.
I am really bad about snacking between meals, and I often find myself grabbing a few hand fulls of less than nutritious foods throughout the day. A hand full of m&ms... a handful of snack mix... a hunk of a loaf of bread out on the kitchen counter. They all seem harmless since I eat them in such small quantities. The reality is that all of those extra mindless calories really do add up, and they do nothing for me nutritionally.
For the past few days, I have stuck to the one "happy snack" per day rule. I reach for healthy options throughout the day, and then I reward myself by indulging a sweet snack in the evening. You can choose to have your "happy snack" at anytime of the day... I just find that making good choices during the day is easier when I know I am going to be rewarded with something that I love. As I was staring at the container of munchy mix in the pantry today, I thought, "that is so not worth missing out on my hot date with Esther Price later tonight."
Today, my healthy snacks consisted of:
Non-fat greek yogurt with 1 cup strawberries
1 cup baby carrots, 3 whole grain crackers, 2 tablespoons of hummus
My happy snack was:
2 pieces of mind-blowingly delicious Esther Price peanut butter cream filled chocolate.
Moderation is key, so don't go eating half the box of chocolates! Self control and sticking to one serving size is much easier when you don't feel deprived. I don't feel guilty about indulging in a little bit of chocolate when I feel good about everything I have eaten throughout the day.
So, do you think you can limit yourself to one "happy snack" per day? I challenge you to replace all but one snack with healthy foods, and to be aware of those little hand fulls you reach for throughout the day. I think you will be surprised at how much more satisfied and energized you are, and the extra room you will quickly find in your favorite jeans isn't such a bad thing, either!
Happy snacking!
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