Episode 19: Snacking with Intentionality

• Introduction “Welcome to Stacked Intent, where we discuss and drop tips on how you are going to intentionally stack your life. I’m Becca Stackhouse-Morson – owner of Stacked Intent, and with me is co-host for our nutrition topics with Ashleigh Geurin, FACS County Extension Agent for UGA. Let’s get started!”

• Brief Summary of objectives:
• Discuss the importance of using the Nutrition Facts Label to choose healthy snacks.
• Smart snacking strategies
• Identify some healthy snack options.

Topic 1: How to use the nutrition facts label to determine if a snack item is a good choice.

Let’s face it, we are busy and on-the go, and we don’t always have a freshly prepared snack of fruits and vegetables and “healthy” options on hand. While it is a great idea and recommended to choose these as snacks more often, it takes time and preplanning to make sure you have them when you need them, and that’s not always possible.

So how can you practically make a healthy choice when your only options are ones that come in a package from a convenience store or a vending machine? The nutrition facts label on the product is a tool to help you make the best decision.

• You can start by checking out the serving size and assessing how many servings are in the container or package. Once you identify the serving size, think through is this the amount that you are going to eat.
• How many calories will be in this portion?
• How many added sugars?
• How many grams of trans and saturated fat?
• How much sodium, if any, will be in this portion?

These are all nutrients that you want to limit when choosing a snack.

Other things to consider are does it contain any fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium or Iron? These are all nutrients that you want to try and get more of in your diet. A quick way to determine if the snack item is high or low in nutrients is to check out the Percent Daily Value column. This is the percentage of how much a serving of this item contributes to the recommended amounts of each nutrient set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 5% or less is considered low and 20% or more is high. Aim for high amounts of fiber, vitamins and minerals and low amounts of calories, sugar, sodium, and fat.

Topic 2:  Smart Snacking Strategies

There are lots of strategies you can utilize to help you when hunger strikes. First of all, with a little time and planning, you can prepare healthy snacks, so they are available and ready to go. Cut up vegetables for dip, pre-make salads, grate low fat cheese, cut up fruits like melon. Put the snacks in plastic containers or in Ziplock bags in the refrigerator so they are ready to go.

Secondly-take healthy snacks with you. Take 1-2 snacks with you in your purse or work bag. Good choices are fresh fruit, dried fruit, 100-calorie snack bags, small amounts of nuts, low fat crackers with low fat cheese, low fat yogurt, and boxes of low fat or skim milk.

Try to avoid the vending machines. This can be as simple as not carrying money for vending machines or taking a detour to avoid the hallway that has the vending machine. If you make it harder to get a high calorie snack, you will be less likely to eat one. If you do happen to pass by a vending machine or walk into a convenience store and find yourself drooling over the options, try to identify if this feeling is a hummer or a beckoner.

A Hummer is a craving that you have even when you don’t see the food and nothing else will satisfy you. Buy and enjoy those foods in ONE PORTION SIZE. A Beckoner is something you only eat because it is THERE! Not because you really want it. KEEP THOSE OUT OF YOUR ROOM, KITCHEN, APARTMENT, HOUSE, ETC!

Have enough snack variety to not get bored, but not too much to encourage overeating.

Usually, 3-4 different healthy snacks on hand are enough to keep you from getting too bored, but don’t have too many choices. People tend to eat more if they can choose from a variety of flavors.

Lastly, really pay attention to and enjoy your snack.

Make snacking a pure experience. Don’t watch TV, read, or do something else while you eat. UNCONSCIOUS EATING OFTEN LEADS TO OVER-EATING.

Topic 3: Healthy Snack Options

• Veggies and low-fat ranch dip or hummus
• Whole grain crackers with peanut butter
• Almonds or walnuts and cheese
• Trail mix (just look for the added sugar and pay attention to the portion size)
• Low-fat yogurts with fruit
• Unbuttered popcorn
• Low-sugar granola

• Call to action: Take time this week to plan out your healthy snacks and share with us by tagging us in Instagram, facebook, or tiktok at stacked_intent