I get questions about snacks a lot! Should I snack or shouldn’t I? How
often? Here is a little quiz (only
6 questions) to help you see how good of a snacker you are and to help you
improve your eating habits.
1. Snacks:
a. Are like
“mini-meals,” containing smaller amounts of what I eat at meals – a few bites
of chicken stir-fry or a small salad
b. Kill my diet –
by stopping snacking, I could lose a few pounds
c. Help me
splurge between healthy meals – I like to munch on a cookie or a miniature
candy bar while waiting on my whole-grain and vegetable-laden dinner to finish
cooking
2. How many hours do you usually go
between eating?
a. 2 hours or
less
b. about 4 hours
c. 6 hours or
more
3. Before a party
that will include food, which are you most likely to do?
a. Eat a small
snack, such as a banana with peanut butter, 1 cup yogurt, or a small bowl of
cereal, to tide you over
b. Eat whatever
you want, because you know you want to enjoy yourself and eat what you like at
the party, so you might as well enjoy the whole day
c. Try not to eat
anything to save up your calories, so that you can enjoy yourself at the party
4. Where do you eat most of your snacks or
meals?
a. In the car
b. In front of
the television or computer
c. At the kitchen
table
5. I usually snack when:
a. My stomach is
growling
b. I know that I
will not eat a full meal for quite some time
c. I am feeling
stressed or tense
6. Your coworker comes to work every day
with several containers of food for lunch and snacks – carrot sticks, apples,
trail mix, protein bars…
a. This strikes
you as pretty odd, because the vending machine is right down the hall and to
the left, plus someone usually brings in cookies or something yummy for
everyone to share – seems kind of obsessive to you
b. This seems
like a very wise behavior, because after all, you bring in you own little
collection of food items from home and understand that preparation is key to
living a healthful lifestyle
c. You often ask
your coworker if you can eat something that she has brought, because you did
not know that you would need to work this late and the snack cake that you ate
1 hour ago just is not cutting it
Scoring:
Give yourself 1 point for each of the following correct
answers, and 0 points if you chose an incorrect answer.
Answers:
1a, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5b, 6b
Results:
If your total score is a 5 or 6, you are a smart snacker! Keep up the good work, but do not
forget to switch things up every once in a while to keep your repertoire
enjoyable.
If your score is 4 or less, keep the following tips mind:
·
Try to eat something every 4 hours. Good examples are fruit and yogurt
parfaits, fruit or vegetables dipped in peanut butter or hummus, a high-fiber
cereal with milk, or whole grain crackers served with a reduced fat cheddar
cheese
·
People eat much more food when they are distracted
in situations, such as having a meal at the desk while working, eating at the
movie theater, or munching on fast food while running errands. Try to take a few moments to focus only
on your food
·
Do not look at snacks as a “diet sin”. Actually, snacks will help keep your
metabolism running, help you to avoid eating too much later in the day, and aid
you in getting all of the nutrients that you need to power you through your
next workout
Estelle L. Benoit, RD, LDN
Source: www.rd411.com