How do I stop snacking after dinner?! It’s a question I get asked often.
But I think an even better question is “what are you snacking on after dinner?”
Eating a snack after dinner isn’t bad. If I’m being completely honest, I almost always have a snack in the evenings. If I eat dinner at 5:30 p.m. but don’t go to bed until 10 p.m. that’s 4.5 hours since I last ate. And I may need something around 8:30 or 9 to tide me over until breakfast the next morning.
It’s okay to snack after dinner. I don’t think that’s the issue though. The real issue is what you are eating for your snack.
I’m assuming that if you’re asking this question it’s because your evening snacking habit consists of junk food.
Instead of removing the evening snack, unless you truly aren’t hungry, change what you’re snacking on.
Let’s touch on one thing: before you reach for a snack in the evenings, ask yourself, “am I truly hungry?”
Or is it because you’re bored? Or because it’s a habit? Maybe it’s because you’re watching tv and just want something to munch on. Or maybe you truly are hungry because it’s been 3 hours since you ate dinner.
Identifying if you’re truly hungry or not will help decide whether your snacking is a habit and you should stop or if you’re truly hungry and just need to grab healthier snacks in the evenings.
If you truly aren’t hungry you can make a cup of tea, drink a glass of water, or get busy doing something else. Breaking that habit will take time but it’s not impossible. Doing something else with your hands or drinking something will occupy you so you aren’t eating a whole bag of chips.
If you are hungry, it’s all about finding healthy snack options.
Here are some of my favorite evening snacks:
Apple slices with peanut butter and mini chocolate chips: I eat this all the time. You get the crunch from the apple and the sweet from the peanut butter and chocolate chips.
JoJo’s Chocolate Bark: If you are craving sweets this is my go-to option. It’s low in sugar and even has protein added! You can use code KARA10 here for 10% off.
Popcorn: But please, not the microwave kind, it’s full of preservatives and not healthy at all. Instead, air pop your own and add some coconut oil/butter or buy some already made in coconut oil or olive oil. Portion 2 cups of popcorn out before eating it so you don’t eat the whole bag!
Mixed nuts: Portion out ¼ cup mixed nuts for something salty and crunchy!
Veggies and hummus: A great way to add some crunch AND get in some veggies.
½ banana drizzled with almond butter and chocolate chips: A yummy treat at the end of the day.
