Planning for a Snack Attack!

[Adapted from http://www.cityslim.com]

You know it happens to you. It’s only been a half hour since lunch and its going to be another late night at the office. Soon enough, your stomach starts rumbling, sending out reverberations in Morse code. The signal reaches your brain and can only be translated into two words… “Feed me!”

What can you do? The vending machine in the lobby is a diet-disaster waiting to happen. The drug store across the street has those chocolate bars you could always go for and you know there’s always a stash of some sugary confections stored beneath your co-worker’s desk. You try to fight it, but your stomach’s whining is actually impairing your ability to work. Reasoning to yourself, you realize you do always have to be on your A-game at the office. There’s only one thing to do at this point, “Indulge the Snack Attack!”

But before you go running for the calorie-crammed candy, let me briefly impart to you the biological wisdom of what goes on in your body pre- and post-prandially (ie, before and after your lunch break). Two hormones are constantly at battle in your body: leptin (the hormone of satisfaction) and ghrelin (the hormone of hunger). Your stomach secretes ghrelin in pulses every half hour, transmitting that dreaded phrase to your brain: “Feed me!” When you are really hungry or dieting, those messages come fast—every twenty minutes or so—and they are also amplified.[i] After long periods, it is simply impossible to ignore these strong biological signals; they subside only when your stomach fills with food. In addition, many people experience a hypoglycemic period, or low-blood sugar, around 2 hours after their meal (or post-priandially). Symptoms include dizziness, headache, fatigue, weakness, and of course, hunger!

So instead of fighting your body’s signals, go ahead and snack! The key to breaking this vicious cycle of erratic blood-sugar levels and battling hormonal signals is to satisfy your stomach with the right foods. Snacks with soluble fiber and high protein content will help keep you feeling full.

The following are my top 5 recommendations for the perfect snack foods. The key to eating healthy is pre-packing your snacks! Keep it natural, while avoiding processed snacks, such as protein bars. Even though these are high in fiber and protein, they are also loaded with sugar! (Some protein bars are 50% sugar; 35 g in one 78 g bar.)

1. TRAIL MIX

½ ounce raw nuts (walnuts, pistachios,and/or almonds)

1 cup of unsweetened dried cranberries (Craisins), Other berries, apricots, or raisins

2. YOGURT & FRUIT

Choose low-fat probiotic (live culture) yogurt

½ cup of canned, unsweetened peaches or mandarin oranges and some raisins

Handful of granola

3. GRAINS & BERRIES

½ cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch Cereal (4.5 g protein, 4 g fiber, 7 whole grains, 1.5 g fat)

¼ cup almonds or walnuts

¼ cup dried berries, apricots, or raisins



4. MEDITERRANEAN MIX

1 cup of cut-up sautéed vegetables, warmed in microwaves

Stuff into small whole wheat pita

Add fat-free hummus



5. VEGGIES

Cup of vegetables (mainly carrots and celery, some peppers)

Dip into low-fat cottage cheese

Add spices, such as dill, chives, ginger, red pepper flakes, or garlic powder to the cottage cheese for flavor



In between meals and your snack, sip on a cup of peppermint tea. The warm fluid will help fill your stomach, while peppermint is a natural appetite-suppressant that also helps digestion.

A word of caution: don’t over-eat! “Contrary to popular belief, not all ingested protein becomes muscle, and not all the fat in your food gets stored on your hips. Everything has the potential to turn into fat if it’s not used by your body for energy at the exact time it is absorbed through your intestines.[i]”

Follow the above recommendations, alternating different snacks each day. Feel free to substitute any fruit, vegetable or nut with your favorite variety. Oh, and Happy Monday!

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[i] Roizen MF, Ox MC. YOU On a Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management. Free Press: 2006.



[i] Roizen MF, Ox MC. YOU On a Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management. Free Press: 2006