9 Tips to Avoid Evening Snacks!

You eat the right foods all day long, but can’t help nibbling on snacks when you come home from work? Or maybe you are the type of person who keeps on eating after supper, wolfing down one or even two desserts? And then another snack in front of the TV? Here are my 9 tips to reduce your snack cravings!

1. Eat three meals a day! If you skip breakfast, the lack of calories will catch up with you once you get home. And then it’s game on for pre-supper crackers, a copious meal, dessert, and late-night snacks. It’s no surprise that your appetite just isn’t there the following morning!  
2. Include 1 to 3 snacks every day. You eat breakfast around 5-6 AM, and supper around 6-7 PM? You need a few snacks! If your meals are more than 4 hours apart, you will benefit from adding one (or even two) snacks to alleviate your hunger and stay energized throughout the day!
3. Add proteins to your day!  By including proteins to each meal and snack, you will stay satisfied for longer periods of time, and your total amount of calories for the day will be lower!
4. Allow yourself 20 minutes for each meal. Take the time to appreciate what you are eating! Savour each bite, and ask yourself if you are still hungry. You will tend to eat more if you mindlessly shovel food in your mouth!
5. Drink 2 to 3 litres of liquid every day.  Did you know that your body often confuses hunger and thirst when dehydrated? Another good reason to make a habit of drinking water, tea, and herbal tea!
6. Practice good oral hygiene.  Brush your teeth, floss, gargle, and I bet you won’t have a sweet craving anymore! Who would want to do this all over again before going to bed?
7. Stay busy at night!  You nibble on snacks out of boredom? Read, play board games with your friends, knit, take a healthy walk, browse the Web, call your family and ask how they are…
8. Treat yourself…  You want to reward yourself at the end of a hard day? Don’t take refuge in food! Take a warm bath, plan on getting a massage, manicure, or pedicure, shop around for your next trip, or the next piece of clothing your will get to fit your new silhouette!
9. Sleep soundly!  If your body is sleep deprived, it will try to get extra energy from food, and you will be stuck with uncontrollable food cravings. What is more, your body will release less satiety hormones (leptin), more hunger hormones (ghrelin), and you will feel like a bottomless pit!

And now, it’s your turn to tell me your best tips to reduce (or eliminate) late-night cravings!

By Caroline Proulx, P.Dt.

9 Tips to Avoid Evening Snacks! is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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