Snacking Smart

Most people are not used to eating 5-6 smaller meals per day and have trouble coming up with options for those “in-between” meals. I think I can pretty much sum up what a majority of our diets looked like before making the commitment to clean eating:

Breakfast – No time. Skipped it.

AM Snack – Ooooooooh!!! Donuts at the office!

Lunch – High calorie, high fat, high carb lunch to compensate for the blood sugar crash caused by the donut.

PM Snack – Dont need one…Too full and lethargic from lunch at the Mexican Restaurant.

Dinner – Whatever is convenient.

Late Snack – Bust open the pantry and freezer!

That was your routine too right? Or maybe I am just speaking from experience. This WAS my routine on most nights of the week! One or two of those days I would get health conscious and have a high sugar protein bar for a snack. But this roller coaster meal plan will not only help you get fat and stay fat…it will literally kill you!

As a Team Beachbody Coach, I am completely dedicated to simplifying nutrition so that YOU have the best opportunity to succeed. RIPPEDCLUB might get tired of hearing this, but 80% of your results are made in the kitchen! If you can win nutritionally, the results of your exercise will be that much more evident! Since for most people, getting used to eating 5-6 times per day and every 2.5-3 hours, seems to be the most difficult habit to form; I wanted to give you some examples of what I use to snack on “in-between” breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you keep your system fueled with the right type of snacks at the right times, your metabolism is going to rev up and start burning fat like crazy! So here are my P90X approved snacks:

• Almonds: they have some protein and are full of good fats. Get the kind that are not cooked in oil though. I usually buy them raw in bulk, but if you cant do raw, I recommend getting almonds with sea salt. You can usually find those at Walmart.
• Protein Bars: Walmart carries a brand called Pure Protein. These are very inexpensive and have great nutritional value for the person who wants to shred fat! They have 20g of protein and only 2g of sugar in the Chocolate Deluxe bar. They taste pretty good too! I currently make my own protein bars to save myself about $30 per month. You can check out how I make those HERE.
• Plain/Nonfat Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is packed with protein and is low cal and low carb. Try and stay away from the flavored ones. You just end up with a bunch of sugar that you dont need and that will set you back in reaching your goals. Instead, I flavor it with fruit. Usually I boil a three berry blend of marionberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Mix that up with the greek yogurt and you have a fantastic snack!
• Low Fat String Cheese: Good source of protein but will have some fat and carbs as well. I buy a brand called Frigo. And I buy the “light” version of the cheese sticks.
• Veggies: Eat as many as you want!!! Just dont be dippin em in ranch and all those other junk dips that are made with nasty oils and fats. Baby carrots are a great option! They are portable and sometimes I eat them with a little bit of peanut butter…money!!!
• Fruit: Fruit is a perfect snack to curb a sugar craving, and even better…prevent them! Apples, berries, peaches, grapes, bananas. Just make sure you dont get those fruit cups that are packed with heavy syrup. As often as you can, eat fresh whole fruits. But be careful with eating too many bananas. They can spike your blood sugar more than other fruits, so I only eat one per day usually.
• Whey Protein: High in protein, low carbs, low sugars, low fat, and has your essential amino acids (BCAA’s). I take servings of protein whey to work with me in tiny tupperware containers along with my shaker cup. Super fast to make, super portable, and super tasty. I recommend either Optimum Nutrition – Gold Standard Whey or Cytosport Muscle Milk – 100% Whey. The ON you can get from GNC and the MM you can get from a Costco or Sam’s Club. Both are reasonably priced and are decent wheys. I am currently using pea protein, which is a great option if you have dairy allergies or are looking for a vegan friendly protein source.
• Whole Wheat Cerals: Cerals like Cheerios and Kashi Heart to Heart are great snacks when you go into phase-2 of the P90X nutrition plan. The have quality complex carbs that will keep your energy levels up without spiking your blood sugar.

There are tons of other snack options available in the P90X nutrition guide, but the above list is about 95% of what I eat for snacks. They are easy, nutritious, quick, relatively affordable, and they keep my body fueled. Most importantly, you need to choose snacks that work for you and snacks that help you reach your nutritional percentage targets, rather than snacks that will undermine those targets. Know BEFORE you eat the snack, how it will affect your daily percentages. This is important stuff!