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Take
action to fend off snack attacks
July 3, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Your
intention is to eat better and lose a few
pounds.
Until the cookies start calling from the
cupboard.
When snack attacks threaten, take
offensive action. Simple strategies can
short circuit a binge or redirect your
attention to lower calorie, nutritious
foods.
The urge to snack is often linked to one
of two causes:
1). Conditioned responses to cues in the
environment. The problem is behavioral. A
certain time of day, the presence of a
particular person, watching TV or working
at the computer, or an emotional state
such as anger, frustration, or anxiety
may be linked in your mind with
"time to eat."
2). Excessive hunger. Here physiology
weakens your resolve. Hungry people often
make impulsive food choices and overeat.
You can protect yourself from these
hazards or minimize their impact.
First: Don’t let yourself get too
hungry.
If you arrive home famished at the end of
the day, you are more likely to gorge on
whatever is quick and convenient –
chips, cookies, candy. Eat a well-timed
snack in the late afternoon before you
leave work, and you’ll be better
able to head off the kind of hunger that
leads to binge eating. And you’ll be
able to wait until dinner to eat.
Some people may find they need five or
six small meals or snacks throughout the
day to feel their best and control their
appetite. In that case, have a little
something every two to three hours. A
piece of fresh fruit, a bowl of cereal, a
cup of soup, some popcorn, or a half
sandwich can be great choices.
The next step: Identify and recondition
cues that trigger the urge to snack.
A food diary can be an effective tool for
helping you recognize problem areas.
Record everything you eat or drink from
the time you wake up until the time you
go to bed. Use a notebook, index cards,
your computer – whatever works for
you. Keep track of the details – how
much, what kind, what time, who was
there, where you were, how you felt
– the more detail, the better. Do it
for several days. Don’t wait until
the end of the day to write it down.
Record immediately after finishing a meal
or snack.
Look for patterns. Do you have an
irresistible urge to snack every evening
in front of the television set? Then look
for ways to reprogram yourself. Use that
time to go out for a long walk instead or
busy yourself with a household task you
can do while you’re watching your
favorite show. Redirect yourself to an
activity other than eating.
Of course, you’ve got to eat
sometime. When you do, make sure that
what you’ve got on hand is what you
want to eat.
Nibbles don’t have to be mundane.
All of the following have less than 200
calories per serving, are nutritious, and
are generally low in what most of us
consume in excess – saturated fat,
cholesterol, sodium, and added sugar:
• A frozen fruit juice bar.
• One large piece of fresh fruit.
• A half-cup of whole grain cold
cereal with skim milk.
• 8 ounces of flavored soymilk.
• Half of a peanut butter and banana
sandwich on whole wheat bread.
• 6 ounces of flavored lowfat or
nonfat yogurt.
• 3 cups of popcorn.
• A homemade bran muffin.
• One cup of cooked oatmeal with
cinnamon, raisins, and skim milk.
• One cup of lentil, black bean, or
split pea soup (several natural foods
brands are lower in sodium than
conventional brands).
• 4-6 pieces of vegetable sushi.
Finally, it’s hard to eat while
you’re jogging around the block or
riding your bike. Exercise helps to
control your appetite at other times,
too. Make time for it every day.
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