Mid-Afternoon Mindless Munching

Have a plan. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, if you fail to plan, you can plan to fail.

It’s a theme I hear from clients—not planning. Not having a plan leads to problems with not making good decisions and often mindless munching.

Eliminating mindless munching

Brenda eliminated mid-afternoon mindless munching. Her habit was always the same. Around 3:00 PM she had to have something sweet. One of two things would happen. She would wander to the break room where there were tempting treats. Or she would visit a coworker who always had a sweet fix on hand to satisfy her craving.

Recognizing this was an area inhibiting success, two things changed. Both involved planning.have a plan
1. Brenda ate a solid breakfast and lunch each including 25 to 30 g of quality protein and good fiber.
2. She set her phone alarm for 3:00 PM and had her own healthy snack available.

Interestingly just by changing her breakfast and lunch routine Brenda’s sweet treat craving subsided. I see that often. When people fuel with nutrient-rich food, the craving for less-than-healthy food goes away.

A few breakfast ideas include

  • 3/4 cup pineapple mixed into 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 oz almonds (~23 or 1 oz other nut)
  • 1 slice whole-wheat toast, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 1 tablespoon fruit spread, 6oz flavored Greek yogurt, hard-boiled egg
  • (vegan) Chocolate/Peanut Butter Smoothie: 1 ripe banana, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, ¼ cup hemp protein powder (e.g. Bob’s Red Mill), 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 cup almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice), ½ cup ice

Also review my blog post 7 High Protein Breakfasts to Curb Hunger.

Some great snack ideas:

  • an apple and a cheese stick
  • 1 cup baby carrots with 3 tablespoons hummus
  • 22 raw almonds
  • 2 large celery stalks with 4 teaspoons peanut butter
  • 1 small banana with 2 teaspoons peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt with 1 cup raspberries

Check out 150 Calorie Snack Ideas for more ideas.

and don’t forget Neily’s Trail Mix!

Neily's trail mix


Photo credits: Neily on Nutrition and pixabay.com

Jennifer Neily, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist | Wellcoach® Certified Health Coach
http://NeilyonNutrition.com
@JenniferNeily

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