Home Health 4 Keys To Healthful Snacking (Video)

4 Keys To Healthful Snacking (Video)

Eating the right snacks at the right time could be the key to better managing your weight. Margaret Brown, a registered dietitian with Mayo Clinic, offers four keys to healthful snacking.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Brown explains the factors that can make it easier to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, including:

  • Knowing when and when not to eat
  • How long to go between meals and snacks
  • What kinds of snacks to eat
  • How much water to drink

Ian Roth reports.

IAN ROTH: Eating the right snacks at the right time could be the key to better managing your weight. Margaret Brown, a registered dietitian with Mayo Clinic, offers four keys to healthful snacking. First is knowing when to snack and when not to.

MARGARET BROWN DIETITIAN Mayo Clinic: ‘Keep your emotions in check. Ask yourself do I really need this snack? Am I really hungry? That’s what we call eating mindfully.”

IAN ROTH: But she also says you shouldn’t go too long between snacks and meals.

MARGARET BROWN DIETITIAN Mayo Clinic: “If you’re waiting four to six hours without eating a meal, that’s probably too long and you’re going to end up over-eating.”

IAN ROTH: That’s why she says it’s important to know what kinds of snacks to eat. She says the best options are fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, a handful of nuts, or protein-rich nut butters. But be mindful of portion size.

MARGARET BROWN DIETITIAN Mayo Clinic:  “These types of foods provide you with natural sugars, healthier fats and oils, and they give you some fiber.”

IAN ROTH: She says avoid processed foods like cereal bars, candy bars, chips and other foods with hidden sugars and unhealthy fats and oils. The fourth key to healthful snacking isn’t what you eat, but what you drink.

MARGARET BROWN DIETITIAN Mayo Clinic: “Drinking enough water can also keep you full and ward off those cravings.”

For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I’m Ian Roth.

[vc_message message_box_style=”3d” message_box_color=”blue”]Mayo Clinic, posted on SouthFloridaReporter.com, May 24, 2017[/vc_message]