How to stop snacking? 4 simple steps to regain control

Let’s start by differentiating between snacking and snacking .

Snacking is the act of eating unhealthy foods between meals. A healthy snack is not snacking, for example.

The difference is in the quality of the food and in the planning. You are perfectly fine to taste or have a snack if it fits in your diet.

Before even trying to find out how to stop snacking, you should already ask yourself a question:

Why are you snacking?

Is it because you’re not eating foods that actually satisfy your fullness? We’ve all experienced the “fast food effect” that makes you feel hungry again two hours after eating a burger and fries.

This is called reactive hypoglycemia. I explain this in more detail later in the article.

Do you snack because you are bored at certain times of the day? Yes, the snacking reflex does not only satisfy a craving. Often, this hunger is psychological. We nibble because we want to fill a void, a bit like checking our notifications on Facebook by idleness. Do you recognize yourself?

Do you simply snack because you don’t eat enough during your meals? I’m obviously talking about healthy food. For example, if you opt for raw vegetables at lunchtime, you will need to eat a good portion if you do not want to feel hungry right after the meal.

So here are 4 steps to stop snacking without feeling like you’re restricting yourself.

1 – Eat 2 or 3 meals a day + 2 small snacks

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are considered the 3 main meals of a typical day. If you’re one of those people who isn’t hungry in the morning, book yourself a good snack for 10am for example.

What do I mean by a good snack? It is a source of protein and carbohydrates. Perfect for avoiding the mid-afternoon hunger pangs.

Among the carbohydrates that you can easily take everywhere with you, we find: fruits, vegetable juices, rice cakes, etc.

On the protein side, you can eat walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and other oilseeds and dried fruits. I assure you that after 50 grams you will not be hungry anymore. In addition, these are good fats: any benefit for your line. You can also drink good protein in the form of almond milk, spelled, oats, hazelnuts or soy milk.

2 -Eat enough protein

Eating good protein will keep you fuller for longer. The latter are found in fish, white meats (such as chicken) but also in green lentils, spelled, chickpeas, buckwheat, quinoa and soybeans, hemp, chia and squash.

3 – Reduce the GI of the foods you eat

GI is the glycemic index of foods, which is the level of glucose they provide in your blood. The higher this number, the more the food in question will make you hungry a few hours later AND pump your digestive energy. This is the case with white bread, for example, whose index is 100/100.

To use the example of the hamburger-fries-soda menu, your body will experience a blood sugar spike only a few hours after ingestion. He will sound the alert and send insulin to the rescue to lower the blood glucose levels. But the insulin will work so hard that it will completely kill your blood sugar. This is what gives the famous post-fast food slack. This is called reactive hypoglycemia.

I would add that cooking foods plays a role in their glycemic index. The more raw, the better for your figure and your health.

4 – Fill your day with interesting activities

Obviously, I am not talking about occupying for the sake of occupancy. By doing things that positively capture your attention, you won’t even realize “it’s four o’clock.” Because you will be so immersed in your activity that the hunger signal will not even appear.

As I said at the beginning of the article, boredom often calls for hunger. And what’s startling is that in most cases, hunger isn’t even real. It’s just a psychological urge to fill the present moment or for comfort. Instead, fill the moment with presence and flow by being focused on what you are going through.

Well, there are always special cases. I’m talking about people who have food compulsions on a clinical level (like people with bulimia). In this case, consult a competent therapist to help you find the root cause of the disorder.