Tag: be snack aware

Foods that make you fat… 🍕

Remember no one food makes you fat, and no one food makes you lose fat. Every day I hear people freaking out because they’ve eaten something that isn’t ‘healthy’. Usually they mean they’ve eaten something that isn’t a whole food (fruit, vegetables, whole

grains) or foods that are perceived as ‘good’

E.g. nuts, avocados, salads, hummus etc.

So yes the majority of your diet should ideally come from ‘healthy’ foods e.g. fruits, vegetables, lean protein, good quality carbohydrates, fibre etc. Ideally around 80% of your diet should be from these food, but that still leaves room for all the other foods you enjoy.

You can and should include foods you perceive as ‘bad’ like cookies, cakes, take aways, alcohol, ‘bad’ carbs etc in your diet in moderation. It doesn’t mean you’ve ‘fallen off the wagon’, or gone off your diet, that you’re a failure, or ‘can’t stick to anything’, or need to ‘start over’. No one can stick to a diet that excludes everything they love all the time – it’s not sustainable. So try to forget this all or nothing attitude, as it’s only setting you up for failure and it’s really not being very nice to yourself!

So don’t freak out if you have some chocolate or a glass of wine. It won’t make you fat, it won’t ‘ruin’ your diet. Quitting because you think you’ve failed will though. So just accommodate the fun foods into your calories. Try to aim for no more than 20 percent ‘fun’ foods (just to ensure you’re getting the right vitamins and minerals etc) but equally don’t over think it – and remember its your diet over time that matters – over months and years, not hours and days. So if you’re over calories today, just be under for the next few days to accommodate it!

Enjoy 🤗

xx

Full of sugar… or is it?🍌 🍫

Have you ever been told you shouldn’t be having (insert snack of choice) because it’s FULL of sugar? As if sugar is something that’s inherently bad? Wouldn’t a banana be a better option than a snickers for example?

The reality is there is nothing ‘bad’ about sugar. We need sugar – it’s a great source of easy energy and it also tastes great. Sugar is made up of two components, fructose and glucose. The molecular structure is the same no matter where they come from. Fruit contains fructose, glucose and also some sucrose (a combination of fructose and glucose). Sweets/ ice creams etc will tend to be higher in sucrose.

This is a great example – a snickers actually has considerably less sugar than a medium banana. The snickers does have more calories, and fewer micronutrients than the banana and you’d probably feel fuller for longer with the banana thanks to the additional fibre etc. The fibre slows digestion making it more filling (and good for your gut heath). This means you’re less likely to want to eat more later, and it’s better for your blood sugar levels. So objectively the banana is a better choice health-wise.

Foods also provide other things – such as pleasure, convenience etc. So if you fancy a snickers as an afternoon pick me up then go for it – as long as it fits your calorie goal for the day. If you prefer a banana than go for that! In terms of the impact on weight/fat loss there will be very little difference as long as you stay within your daily calories and are aware the snickers will be a less filling option. And in terms of sugar content the banana is actually higher.

I’m not suggesting the snickers is better for you than a banana, nor am I suggesting you avoid fruit in favour of chocolate lol! I’m just suggesting we recognise that no foods are ‘bad’, and that as part of a balanced, healthy diet you can have both! Sometimes the snickers will be what you need, sometimes the banana!

Enjoy 🤗

xx

Just a few sweets… vs a disaster! 🍬

It’s very easy when trying to lose weight and control your calories to fall into the trap of feeling massively guilty about what you may view as ‘falling off the wagon’. Sitting down and demolishing half a packet of biscuits with your afternoon coffee is often something that becomes a ‘disaster’ for the diet and can result in a spiral of guilt. This can then derail you for the rest of the day or week – meaning one small instance of overeating becomes much larger.

In contrast it’s often very easy to not notice the odd nibble here and there. Grabbing a chocolate from the bowl in the office as you walk past, popping another one in your mouth while you wait for coffee, just having a couple of Percy pigs your friend offers you, and grabbing a few of the kids Colin the Caterpillar sweets. It’s likely that if spread over the day you may not even notice you’ve had these, and you may not even remember to factor them into your daily calories.

A bite here, a nibble there, just one sweet here… it’s nothing right? Yet the actual calorie impact is significant – 390 cals in this example. Whereas in contrast half a packet of Oreos would be viewed as a total disaster. One is laden with guilt, the other you barely notice. Neither is a great approach – the important thing is to be aware of the calories in what you’re eating. This means you need to consider all the little extras you might not think of as important, but equally means you need to remove the guilt from some perceived ‘disasters’ – as they’re often not as bad as you actually think!

As always knowledge is power! If you know what you’re eating you can have whatever you want and make it fit your goals!

Enjoy

🤗

Xx

Protein snack… or just a snack? 🍞

There are lots of brands out that that are using the marketing power of “protein” to sell their products. The unspoken idea is that protein = better or healthier etc. The reasoning behind this is the fact that increased protein can help with improved satiety (feelings of fullness) so CAN help to prevent overeating. Also those working out may want to focus on protein to help with muscle building. For most people a balanced diet will contain enough protein so you don’t need to go out of your way to take in extra protein unless you’re a bodybuilder or professional athlete. However you may still wish to focus on higher protein foods and snacks to help keep you feeling full.

So you may well see this protein snack and think it’s a good option. However, it isn’t actually particularly high in protein, with only 4.7g. In contrast the slice of bread/toast might be perceived as a ‘bad’ snack because it’s all ‘carbs’… Yet the bread contains more protein (5g ) for fewer calories. In addition the bread is far cheaper!

Neither would actually be classed as high protein. In terms of weight loss both will probably do the same basic job – they are a good snack if you fancy it. So don’t be swayed by the “protein” label – actually check the nutritional info and then choose the snack you want!

Enjoy

🤗

Xx