I am a grazer. By which, I mean that I rarely do the whole three meal a day thing. Instead, I prefer to have a near-constant stream of snacks at my disposal. On the rare occasion that I find myself snack-less, I get a sort of anxiety surge. And when I attempt a more rigid eating pattern? Hanger. On the hour, every hour.
I'm not sure if this is habit-driven or if it's something more scientific, like low blood sugar. Now that I think of it, maybe I should get it checked out. Definitely not on NHS Direct, though - they'll million percent tell me I'm dying..
Anyway. Lots of people have weird eating habits. I mean, yesterday, I interviewed a brand on my radio show who do food coaching. You can even hire Rooted London to come do your grocery shopping with you to, like, Make Good Choices. So, yeh, that's a thing now.
I'm not going that far, but I am going on bootcamp this weekend. Yikes. They have a boarderline-strict food programme that we're supposed to follow, but frankly I think it's best for everyone if I snaffle in some snacks. Hanger, remember?
Exactly what to take posed some problems though, so I asked a nutritionist friend for advice. And here, between me and Azmina Govindji, are some snacking guidelines. Because no one likes feeling hungry.
Plan ahead - Similar principle to never going shopping on an empty stomach (which, btw, is one of the most real and awesome bits of advice I've ever received). Have a few healthy snacks ready and waiting for when you need them.
Make sure you get fibre in there - It can help you feel fuller longer, which (obv) will control hunger.
Choose things that'll actually fill you up - needing stodgey carbs to achieve satiety is actually a myth - protein is the real hero that fills you up.
You are NOT what you eat - Contrary to popular belief, eating good fats (e.g. in avocados and nuts) can actually help break down stored fat in the body.
Don't be afraid of taste - your brain has a funny way of 'forgetting' about things you don't want to do, so it's likely you'll shun your prepared healthy snack for something more exciting if the healthy one is rank.
Beware 'empty' calories - Foods with barely any nutritional value (e.g. a chocolate bar) are just pointless. If you need a chocolate fix, look for snack bars that have small amounts of dark chocolate drizzled over nuts - try KIND.
My mission this week is to actually practice what I preach - I'll keep you posted....