Are you trying to eat intuitively but unsure of what snacks you should be incorporating?
Are you having a hard time deciphering between what’s actually nutritious versus what diet culture tells you that you should eat?
I get it, in the world of nutrition misinformation it can be really difficult to know what to even eat anymore.
As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, I’m here to help you find some snacks that will satisfy both your body and your taste buds.
Keep reading to learn more about the importance of snacking for intuitive eating, tips to snack intuitively, incorporating gentle nutrition into your snacks, intuitive eating snacks ideas and more!
What is intuitive eating?
First things first, what even is intuitive eating? If you stumbled across this article, you likely already have an idea of what intuitive eating is. That being said, it’s complicated, and it helps to hear about it over and over again, so I will briefly break it down for you.
In a nutshell, intuitive eating is a non-diet, weight inclusive, evidenced based, self-care approach to eating.
The most important thing to know is that it is NOT a diet. Rather it focuses on your health and what feels good to your body. Instead of restricting and following food rules, you learn to tune in, and respond to your body's needs while also following evidenced based nutrition principles.
To get a better understanding of exactly what intuitive eating is, and how to start today, I welcome you to check out this free 30 minute training.
Why snacks are important for intuitive eating
There are many reasons why snacks are important for intuitive eating and health in general including:
1. Intuitive snacking helps to ensure nutrient needs are met
Diet culture tells you to eat less and less, but the truth is, this is not healthy, it probably won’t help you reach long-term weight loss goals and will actually only worsen your health by not providing your body with ALL of the nutrients it needs.
2. Intuitive snacking allows you to remain focused and energized throughout the day
A common sign of hunger (i.e. the need for more nourishment) is decreased focus and energy. Unfortunately this sign is often missed and blamed on something else.
I can tell you right now that if you’re not eating enough (or not eating frequently enough) and you’re experiencing fatigue and lack of focus throughout the day, you NEED to incorporate more snacks.
3. Intuitive snacking aides in getting back in touch with your body cues (i.e. hunger and fullness)
Typically when people start their intuitive eating journey they’re quite out of tune with their body's needs, including hunger and fullness (you can blame this on diet culture and dieting).
One really important step in getting back in touch with these needs is to eat frequently and regularly. Snacking allows for this to occur.
4. Snacking keeps you satisfied until your next meal
Do you find yourself starving by lunch or supper? Then you eat so fast you barely remember it? As a result you may eat more than intended and end up feeling a little too full and maybe experience some digestive issues?
If so, this means you need to add a snack in between your meals.
5. Snacking prevents overeating or binging later on in the evening
Carrying on from my last point here. Almost all of my clients that come to me struggle with overeating. The real issue? Under-eating. Something they would have never thought of themselves, because again, they’re constantly told to eat less and less.
In reality, when your body starts to feel starved at the cellular level, biology will take over, your body will compensate for the lack of food earlier and convince you to eat amounts larger than what your stomach can and should handle at a time.
Top 5 tips to snack intuitively
1. Be intentional, but not rigid
Intuitive eating is supposed to be flexible, there shouldn’t be a rigid schedule that you MUST follow, just like there shouldn’t be other rigid food rules.
That being said, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be intentional. As you get to know your body, you get to know the typical times you need to get some food into your system.
So, if for example, you’re leaving the house for a work day, you will need to plan out and bring enough meals and snacks to last you until the end of your shift. This doesn’t mean you have to finish all of the food you brought or that you can only eat what you brought and not go purchase something else from the cafeteria if you get hungry.
Be prepared for the day, but also prepare for unexpected changes in hunger. Go with it, listen to your body.
2. Be aware of your hunger and fullness cues
As I mentioned earlier, these cues may be blunted based on past history with food and dieting. However, if you’re starting to eat more regularly and incorporate more snacks these cues should slowly come back.
Yes, you likely know what the extremes feel like when it comes to hunger and fullness, but what about the subtle cues you should be more aware of and respond to before it gets to the extreme? Here’s a few potential cues you may experience:
Hunger cues:
Empty feeling in stomach or stomach growling
Increased food thoughts
Lack of focus
Fatigue
Low energy
Headache
Fullness cues:
Hunger cues diminish
Stomach distension
Feeling more energized, eventually sluggish if you eat too much
Foods not tasting as good anymore
3. Use gentle nutrition, not food rules
There is no need to implement restrictions or follow bogus food rules that god knows who came up with. That doesn’t mean we don’t consider actual nutrition strategies to ensure satisfaction and promote overall health.
When it comes to using gentle nutrition with snacking I will often suggest a balance of fiber-rich carbohydrates and protein or high quality fats. The reason I focus on these nutrients is because they all aid in satisfaction (i.e. help keep you feeling full longer) in addition to the other benefits that come with these nutrients.
You don’t need to get a balance of all three of these nutrients every time you eat a snack, but when your goal is to satisfy your physical needs and tide you over until your next meal, I would advise choosing a balance of at least two of these nutrients.
4. Be practical
You don’t necessarily have to wait until you’re hungry to eat a snack, there are many other reasons to eat other than just hunger. One reason is simply to be practical. Let me put this into perspective for you.
For example, if you normally eat supper at 5PM, but tonight you’re going out to a restaurant with friends at 7PM for supper, you’re going to need to add in an extra snack.
Otherwise, you’re going to be going into your meal overly hungry and as a result you’re going to eat way too much and not feel so great after.
5. Make sure you enjoy your snacks
Have fun with your snacks, mix it up often so you don’t get bored and dread eating. Satisfying your taste buds is just as important as satisfying your body's physical needs. While most often I like to incorporate principles of gentle nutrition and suggest focusing on fiber and protein rich snacks, sometimes you just want to eat a cookie.
If you want a cookie just simply for the taste that’s fine. If you want a cookie but you’re also looking to fill your body's physical needs such as hunger, build it up. Have it with a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts or a couple slices of cheese, whatever floats your boat.
3 intuitive eating questions to ask yourself before choosing a snack
1. What am I in the mood for?
Do I want something sweet or savoury? Smooth or crunchy? Convenient or homemade? This is an important question when it comes to the satisfaction of your taste buds.
2. How much do I need to hold me over until my next meal?
Are you snack hungry? Or potentially meal hungry? Take into consideration how long it’s been since your last meal, and how much longer it will be until your next. This will help you decide how much you should be eating.
3. How do I want to feel after?
This is when you can consider gentle nutrition. Most times we want to feel good after eating, therefore most times we’re going to eat the foods (and amount of food) that allow us to feel our best.
Intuitive eating dietitian answering common questions about snacking
Is snacking healthy?
Absolutely! Snacking allows us to meet all of our nutrient needs. For many of us, we won’t be able to get all those needs in between three meals without also feeling overly full after.
Snacking also helps maintain our blood sugars and energy levels which in turn will allow us to get through the day without experiencing early fatigue, lack of focus and irritability.
Is it bad to snack at night?
No. A common myth is that you shouldn’t eat after 7:00PM as this will ultimately lead to weight gain. This is very untrue.
Let’s keep in mind that our bodies don’t just forget how to digest and metabolize food at night, just like we don’t forget how to breathe.
If you’re hungry, or tend to wake up overly hungry you should in fact have a snack before bed. This is not a must or a rule. Do what works best for you, if you eat supper late, or happen to eat more than normal at supper one night, you may choose to skip the snack.
If you eat supper early, let's say 5PM, then go for an evening walk and then don’t go to bed until 10PM, then yes you will likely need a snack.
Won’t I overeat if I incorporate more snacks?
Again, no. What I often find with clients is that they avoid snacking throughout the day in fear of eating too much and gaining weight.
What typically happens as a result is that they get overly hungry and find themselves consistently over-eating in the evenings which ends up having the opposite effect as to what they were going for.
This is almost bound to happen when you let your body’s needs go unmet. In addition to this, when you get to a certain point of hunger it can also be difficult to make good choices for your body at that moment.
Should all my snacks be balanced
The intent is the most important thing to consider. Why are you having a snack? If it’s because you’re hungry, or you know you will be overly hungry by your next meal if you don’t have a snack, then you may want to aim to incorporate a snack balanced with a protein/fat and fiber source.
If you’re not necessarily hungry, maybe you even just finished a meal, but just really want to try one of your grandma’s homemade cookies, then you don’t necessarily need to balance it. Having the cookie on its own is completely fine.
Should I be looking for low calories
The main purpose of eating is to fuel our bodies therefore it wouldn't make sense if we were constantly seeking only low calorie snacks as they often don’t provide the fuel we need.
However, there is a place for low calorie snacks. If you happen to like the taste of a certain low calorie snack, then by all means, eat it. But don’t use it as a way to replace a nutrient dense meal or snack.
Personally, sometimes I will naturally pick lower calorie snacks or single nutrient (i.e. less filling) snacks when I’m not actually hungry but just happen to want to snack on something and that is completely fine.
Intuitive eating snack ideas
Finally, the moment you have been waiting for. Here’s a list of intuitive eating snacks that satisfy:
Slice of whole grain toast with your favorite nut butter, banana slices and drizzle of honey
Mixed nuts with dried fruit (add chocolate chips as desired)
Grapes and cheese slices
Yogurt and mixed berries (bump up the satisfaction factor with cereal/granola, nuts or seeds)
Some ideas for nuts & seeds: walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, peanuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds
Cottage cheese and melons or peaches
Apple or banana slices with nut butter
Boiled eggs and fruit
Crackers, hummus and vegetables (cucumber, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, bell peppers, etc.)
Avocado smash toast (top with everything bagel seasoning)
Chicken/egg/tuna salad with toast, crackers, rice cakes or tortilla chips
Granola/protein bar with an orange
Mixed berry smoothie with milk, yogurt and an additional protein source (i.e. peanut butter, protein powder)
Want more ideas beyond just the basics? Access my free snack guide here which includes recipes of some of my favourite intuitive eating snacks!
And there you have it! By now you should have a better understanding of what to take into consideration when choosing what to eat for snacking intuitively.
The most important takeaways are 1) snacking can be extremely beneficial and 2) the intent behind your choices is what matters most.
Comments