It’s the beginning of fall, and post-quarantine get-togethers are in full swing. Though life is starting to feel a bit normal, your eating habits may be all over the place. While it’s important to enjoy this time, it’s also important to find balance and not derail the healthy habits you’ve worked so hard to establish this year. Instead of drastic shifts in eating, let’s discuss a healthy, sustainable approach to consumption — one that can get you through welcomed meals out and events every day of the year.  

Rather than restricting or ‘saving your calories’ for a large celebratory meal or a few post-work cocktails, take control of your health by eating more, not less. Eating throughout the day is crucial, and it begins within an hour of waking. Then every 3-4 hours. That’s where snacks come in. Depending on the number of hours you’re awake, an ideal day may include breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. If your days are long, you may find a post-dinner snack to be helpful. 

Read on to see how snacks can help you reach your health goals. 

Snacking will help you control your ‘hunger hormone’ ghrelin. Ghrelin regulates your hunger cues, meaning it ultimately regulates your dietary intake. Studies show: 

• Ghrelin triggers when, what, how, and why you eat.

• It increases appetite, decreases metabolism, and decreases fat burning.

• High ghrelin levels lead to eating without control.

• Skipping or delaying meals, low-calorie meals, carbohydrate restriction, weight loss, exercise, and lack of sleep increase ghrelin production.

• Read that last bullet point again.

Snacks set you up for success:

• They help you control your hunger level. You often can’t control what’s being served at networking events or holiday parties. Still, you can manage your hunger going into these various events.

• Snacks sustain your energy and increase your productivity.

• Snacks are an excellent opportunity to boost your fruit and vegetable intake, which increases your fiber, vitamin, and mineral intake.

As always, go for whole foods over processed items. They’re lower in refined grains and added sugars. You want a snack that sustains you, not one that gives you a high, quickly followed by a crash. It’s also important to include a variety of macronutrients each time you eat. What does that mean? Have carbohydrates with protein or fat or enjoy all three macronutrients together. Carbohydrates will quickly reduce your hunger while protein and fat will keep you feeling full. They pair very nicely together, too. 

Some great snack combinations are below. Choose your snacks well.

• 2 dates and ½ Tbsp nut butter

• 1 hard-boiled egg and a small piece of fruit (apple, banana, pear, persimmon)

• 1 rice cake, ½ Tbsp nut butter, and a drizzle of honey

• ½ Tbsp nut butter and a small piece of fruit

• 4 walnut halves and 2 Tbsp dried fruit

• ¼ cup cashews and 3 to 4 dried apricots

• 1 cup plain Greek or Skyr yogurt and ½ cup mixed berries

• ¼ cup hummus and raw vegetables (carrots, cucumber, snap peas, bell pepper)

• ⅔ cup mixed berries and 1 to 2 squares dark chocolate (70% or more)

Note: portions are built for 1,600 calorie plans and cover 1 of 2 daily snacks.

This post isn’t to recommend mindless snacking at your desk or in front of your TV. It’s also not meant to endorse grazing throughout the day. Treat these snacks like any other meal or experience you have with food – give them your attention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is ghrelin?

A: Ghrelin is a hormone that regulates your hunger cues, meaning it ultimately regulates your dietary intake. It triggers when, what, how, and why you eat. It increases appetite, decreases metabolism, and decreases fat burning. High ghrelin levels lead to eating without control. Skipping or delaying meals, low-calorie meals, carbohydrate restriction, weight loss, exercise, and lack of sleep increase ghrelin production.

Q: How many snacks should I have a day?

A: That depends on how many hours you’re awake, how large your meals are, what your activity level is, and, quite simply, how hungry you are. In general, I recommend 3 moderately sized meals and 2-3 snacks a day.

Q: What snack do you recommend most?

A: Medjool dates stuffed with peanut butter!

Get more recipes and resources — join my substack newsletter!

Paying subscribers receive:

• Exclusive recipe drop every Saturday morning

• Once monthly one-week meal plan

• Nutrition education and resources

• Weekly Five Things post

• Access to all past recipes on the website

Unpaid subscribers receive a recipe drop once monthly and my weekly Five Things post.

This post was written by Kelly Powers, MA, RDN. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary Nutritionist who takes a holistic approach to nutrition and health. She is a recipe developer with a food blog highlighting whole foods, simple recipes, and her life in San Francisco. Kelly is the creator of Weeknight Dinners, a weekly meal plan program that helps users get back in the kitchen and feed themselves well. Kelly specializes in meal planning, the Mediterranean diet, and sustainable behavior change, helping her clients reach their health goals while improving their relationship with food.

References

Bachman, J. L., Phelan, S., Wing, R. R, and Raynor, H. A. (2011). Eating frequency is higher in weight loss maintainers and normal weight individuals as compared to overweight individuals. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 111 (11), 1730-1734.

Hansen, T., Dall, R., Hosoda, H., Kojima, M., Kangawa, K., Christiansen, J., and Jorgensen, J. (2002). Weight loss increases circulating levels of ghrelin in human obesity. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, 56 (2), 203-206.

Klok, M. D., Jakobsdottir, S, and Drent M. L. (2006). The role of leptin and ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans: a review. Obesity Reviews, 8 (1), 21-34.

Wren, A. M., Seal, L. J., Cohen, M. A., Brynes, A. E., Frost, G. S., Murphy, K. G., Dhillo, W. S., Ghatei, M. A., Bloom, S. R. (2001). Ghrelin Enhances Appetite and Increases Food Intake In Humans. Imperial College School of Medicine. Retrieved from https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/bitstream/10044/1/287/1/WREN-JCEM-2001.pdf