It's Snacky

I did a few plays with a guy who referred to low-quality things as being "snacky" - I'm not sure as to the origins of that usage and I'll admit to having adopted it for myself because it's pretty fun to say, but I also don't know if it's terribly accurate because snacks? Are awesome, done correctly.

Here's the thing - it's really easy to eat something tasty but nutritionally-flimsy and call it a snack, but that is not a snack. That is a treat. And treats are wonderful but they're not going to adequately bridge the gap between mealtimes, which is the purpose of a snack. Let me get a little deeper with that: snacks are for keeping your metabolism functioning at optimal levels between full meals, so what you want in a snack is relatively even amounts of protein, (good) carbs, and (healthy) fats. And that's really easy to do! An apple with some peanut butter and maybe a few crackers if you, like me, need bread to function. A cup of yogurt topped with a handful of nuts. A boiled egg and half an avocado, sliced or mashed, on toast. Any well-constructed trail mix. The possibilities are really literally endless.

As to when you need a snack? Generally mid-afternoon and possibly a couple hours after dinner if you eat early. Basically when you're hungry, but also look at the intervals at which you're eating your full meals - most people maintain optimal metabolic levels by eating every two and a half to three hours, so if you eat breakfast around nine and lunch at noon then you probably don't need a mid-morning snack, but if lunch is at noon and dinner is at eight then you might throw in two snacks in between to keep yourself going. They don't have to be big, either, especially if you tend to eat big meals, but just a little well-balanced something is going to help you out immensely. Good metabolism = healthy you = happy you. We haven't even scratched the surface yet of all the ways adjusting your eating habits can help you out in other areas of your life. But we'll get a little closer every Wednesday!

More immediately, tomorrow we're getting into your head. It should be fun!

Have a beautiful day.
- Sarah