Chocolate may be one of my greatest weaknesses. Combine that with a pretzel underneath, and that may be the death of me. Mike and I have vowed to stop buying delicious, delicious sweets but somehow they always end up in our cupboards. Perhaps it was the great sale they were on and we couldn’t pass it up. I now stare at the Girl Guide box of chocolate and vanilla cookies. I know how they got here, it was my fault (even though I am the one who makes us get healthy options when we go grocery shopping). I couldn’t resist the cute Brownies (a younger version of a Girl Guide) at the Strathcona Farmers Market. It was for a good cause. Not to mention, they are one of my favourite cookies and I only get them twice a year. The other time is when they have the mint chocolate cookies. Purely heaven.
Within the past month or so, I have significantly decreased the amount of television I have been watching. I have never been a big TV watcher, but since I have been in Edmonton, it has definitely increased. Subsequently, my post-dinner snacking increased. Correlation, yes. Not only are there ads for food that make you hungry, I get bored watching TV, so I need to do something with my time. I am a fidgeter. I need to be constantly doing something so I do not get bored. Some people would classify this as ADD, but I would say that I have energy... a lot of it. I cannot sit without moving around or getting up to walk around for more than 20 minutes. I am patient, but I need to be doing something. I noticed that I was moving food from my lap to my mouth in order to fill the void of boredom. Things needed to change.
I can proudly say that I have only turned the TV on once since I came back to Edmonton. I think about why I was watching so much TV and I can relate it to stress. Another reason for poor snacking habits, stress. I was preparing for an interview that I have been working towards for many, many years. I would avoid preparing for it because I was so nervous. I needed to prepare, so I wrote myself a note, “No TV watching. Only interview prep.” (Writing notes to myself is a done deal; I cannot go back on my notes). Since then, I don’t miss TV. Done. Cold turkey. I do watch hockey, let's be serious, it is the playoffs (although I am not snacking, I am doing ten other things all at once).
Everytime I get a craving for late night snacking that is unnecessary, I do my quick 20’s; I drink water; I play Yathzee; I play guitar; I bother, pester and annoy Mike. To get over these issues, have your partner or a friend to distract you from your craving. Communicate with them that you are trying to be health-conscious and want to limit the amount of late night snacking. Late night snacking is tempting, but don’t do it. You will regret it. Ask yourself: Do you really need this? Are you actually hungry? Or are you just thirsty?
If you didn’t get your daily intake of food, is it better to go to bed without it, or eat and let your body digest over night?
It depends on your lifestyle.
For starters, if you want to lose weight by dieting (which is not the best way to lose weight) you should not be late-night snacking. It is a bad habit. For those that chose a healthy balanced lifestyle consisting of health-conscious eating habits and maintain regular exercise, you should be preparing and replenishing your body for the next day. When exercising, your body uses your stored carbohydrates (glycogen), fat stores and protein. After exercising, you must replenish these sources to stay healthy. If you snack irresponsibly, you will be turning your consumed nutrients into fat. Too much protein, turned into fat. Too many carbohydrates, turned into fat. Too much fat… obviously.
Your body needs fuel. It needs food so that you can be in prime condition for the next day. Your body has nothing else to do in the night but digest (and relaxation is the best time for this to happen because your body is in “rest and digest” mode and your parasympathetic nervous system is awake and working hard).
The best alternative is to choose healthy late-night snacking options.
Here are some options for healthy-snacking, whether it be late-night or daytime. Be wary of your portion sizes. Not too big. This is only to tie you over until next meal. Don’t be afraid to snack. It is extremely good for you but only if you keep your meal sizes small as well.
Cottage cheese (fat free or 1%) with grapes.
Apple and peanut butter (a small amount of peanut butter).
Hard boiled eggs (add pepper a small pinch of salt and take out the yolk for less fat).
Kale chips.
Celery (add a small smear of peanut butter).
VEGETABLES (carrots, peppers).
FRUITS (apples, bananas, apricots, etcetera).
Hummus (recipe to come).
For portion sizes a good website to visit is Canada’s Food Guide. If you are from the United States, there is a similar website, the USDA. (See below). It is all the same. The layout for Canada’s Food Guide is more user-friendly (I am most likely biased about this as I am 100% Canadian). The United States use a pyramid, instead Canada uses a healthy rainbow.
Canada’s Food Guide
