Healthy living ‘Snack time’

I think that snack time is what gets us in more trouble than anything else when we are striving to eat right. We can eat healthy foods for our meals but when it comes time for a snack, it gets a little tricky!

My regular readers know that I lost 26 pounds 2 years ago and have maintained my weight now for the whole time. I haven’t gained even one pound back. And I think making better choices at snack time has helped me the most.

I lost my weight by cutting carbs and taking sugar out of my diet altogether. I did it to be healthy and as a bonus, I lost weight. My body does not tolerate sugar. I’m not a diabetic but sugar makes me feel nervous and sick. So I don’t like to eat sugar….I don’t really have a choice….sugar doesn’t like me!

But then I get hungry for salty and sweet snacks!

If you take processed sugar out of your diet, your taste buds will change. Fruit will taste so much better and you will even tasted the sweetness in some veggies, like cabbage and carrots. ( I eat a lot of cole slaw and love it!  I make a sauce with Kraft real mayo, a splash of lemon juice and a packet of Stevia to mix in freshly grated cabbage and carrots. It fills you up and qualifies as a salad!) Gala apples…YUM! Looks like I ate too many of the grapes for a good photo shoot! heehee!

So what are some of my favorite snacks?

I can eat 2 of these cookies….only 2, if I put a little cream cheese on top of them or peanut butter. This can be a snack or a dessert with coffee.

And Dannon has a wonderful yogurt that I like. If I want a bigger snack, I spoon out a carton of the yogurt into a bowl, slice a strawberry on top and crumble one of the Fruit thin cookies on top.

I like to grind my own peanut butter at the grocery store….peanuts….the only ingredient!

And this is the jelly I like best. All fruit…no sugar OR artificial sweeteners. Spreadable fruit..ahhh!

There are more choices for bread, too. This oatmeal bread is light and yummy. Sometimes I make a piece of cinnamon toast in the afternoon with cinnamon and Stevia on top…oh and some butter!

 

Since I cannot eat sugar, I have to rely on artificial sweeteners to get my chocolate fix. Russell Stovers is the best and my favorite are the Peanut Butter cups. Just one though.

I drink lots of water, one cup of coffee in the morning and another one in the afternoon. I like tea sweetened with Stevia and I rarely have a diet soda.

For something special or for traveling, I make a coffee drink. 2/3 cold coffee, 1/3 milk and 1 TBS chocolate syrup, sugar free.

And yes, I eat cottage cheese, celery sticks with cream cheese and even carrot sticks. Cheese sticks are yummy, too. But sometimes you need something that looks more ….or ‘less’ healthy! heehee!

I keep sugar free ice cream in the freezer. The Breyers ice cream bars with almonds in the chocolate coating are my favorite. And I like a few Sunchips with lunch sometimes.

If you are careful with your snacks and eat them in moderation, you won’t gain weight….you won’t lose weight either. To lose weight, you have to be a lot more careful about what you eat and exercise regularly. Once you’ve lost the weight, you still have to exercise regularly but you can add a few of your favorite foods back into your diet…in moderation!

I love nuts and they make me feel good! It’s the protein that gives me a boost. But when I get the bag of nuts out….any raw nut is good for you….I put a few in a bowl and put the bag of nuts away BEFORE I snack. No seconds! No going back for more! If you want more, drink a big glass of water and wait a little bit and see if you still want them. Usually you’ll get busy and forget all about them.

Does it look like I think about food a lot? I DO! I love to eat but I also want to be healthy and happy! And it’s such a blessing to have so many good choices. We need to TAKE CONTROL and make the right ones!

Do you have a special food that is low in calories or sugar that you like to eat for a snack?