Snacks: My Secret Formula to Drop 5 Pounds and Boost Your Metabolism

Snacking is tricky – it can be your best friend or your worst enemy in terms of hormonal balance and weight loss.

You have probably heard a lot lately about the merits of intermittent fasting – or the practice of restricting your eating to a narrow window of time each day. While this policy works great for some, it isn’t right for everyone.

For those who struggle with blood sugar regulation, as do most individuals who are overweight, allowing blood sugar to plummet and then spike can have an adverse effect on your hormones that can cause you to feel tired, cranky or just plain off. This is especially true for women as we have a more delicate hormonal balance.

Science aside, many people find that they are so famished by the time they finally allow themselves to eat after skipping a meal that they make poor choices and consume whatever is quick and easy or what they are craving most.

How to Snack Yourself Slim

Instead of Starving Yourself, Follow These Two Golden Rules of Grazing:

1. Make healthy food too easy to pass up.

Keep celery, broccoli florets, cauliflower, cucumber and radishes sliced and easily accessible. Make a pretty crudité plate the first thing you see when you open your fridge, and pack containers of sliced veggies to take to the office. If you graze on vegetables until lunch you won’t be riding a blood sugar rollercoaster all morning and you are less likely to overeat during your meal.

2. Eat protein in the afternoon.

If you find yourself feeling sluggish or foggy after lunch, it’s tempting to reach for the energy quick fix that carbs or caffeine provide. Protein is a better option because otherwise you are simply delaying the crash. I like to drink half a serving of a protein shake, such as my delicious Dr. Sara’s Hormone Balancing Shake.

My Favorite Packaged Snacks (That Won’t Pack on the Pounds)

Let’s be honest, there are some days (weeks, months…), where spending an hour to prep your veggies ahead of time just isn’t going to happen. And fresh, organic vegetables are often impossible to find while you are traveling. For road trips and long flights this summer, I’ll be stocking up on my favorite smart snacks:

Kale chips

These are great for potato chip lovers. I recommend Kale Krunch Quite Cheezy, which are so delicious and you won’t believe that they are actually dairy-free, vegan, and raw!

Grassfed beef jerky

Beef jerky is an amazing snack. It’s filling, packed with protein, and keeps your mouth busy gnawing away for a long time. I like to keep a bag of Steve’s Paleogoods PaleoJerky in my car for emergencies (i.e. when I’m stuck in traffic with hungry kids in the car). Also try Sophie’s Survival Food Grass-Fed Beef Jerky Chews.

Nuttzo

Raise your hand if you could finish off a jar of peanut butter or Nutella with a spoon. If this is you, you need Nuttzo in your life- immediately. This spread is low sugar, high protein, and now available in dark chocolate. Spread some on sliced apples or grain-free crackers, and stash a few of their single serving pouches in your purse for emergency chocolate cravings. You’ll be getting all the health benefits of dark chocolate, plus 7 grams of protein and a healthy serving of omega-3s.

Dr. Sara Bar

Speaking of chocolate, I am so excited to share my delicious Dr. Sara Bar in Cacao Coconut Crunch. Nothing is more allusive than the perfect protein bar. Most grocery stores now have an entire aisle devoted to bars, still most are laden with sugar and other non-organic and possibly GMO ingredients. My bar is totally organic and crafted from ingredients that you can pronounce and visualize– i.e. cinnamon. We know what that looks like. What about soy lecithin? None of that in here, but it does pack 12 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber. Plus (and most importantly if you ask my kids), it tastes great!

Want To Learn More About What To Eat To Shed Pounds, Double Your Energy, And Fire Up Your Metabolism?

It sounds too good to be true, but all of this delicious nosh can be a part of your plan for detoxing and weight loss. That’s because the secret to dropping pounds and boosting metabolism is not about starvation.

It’s about simple daily actions that, over time, create big results.