Looking Like a Snack: 3 Keys to Building a Snack that will Actually Hold You Over

Call me crazy, but I couldn't possibly follow a diet that suggests I skip snacking and stick to 3 meals a day. It's just not me. Over the years however, I've learned which snacks satisfy my hunger enough to do.. well what snacks were born to do, hold me over until my next meal. So I've put down the Oreo's (most of the time), and picked up the snacks that are filled with slow-digesting carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein, the three ingredients that make our food look more like a snack. ;)

As I mentioned above, a snack is most satiating when it contains:

1. Slow-digesting Carbohydrates, or whole grain products rich in fiber such as fruits and vegetables, legumes, quinoa, rice or sprouted grain crackers, etc.

2. Healthy Fats such as legumes, seeds and nuts, avocado, high-protein dairy, etc.

3. Protein such as dairy products, eggs, lean meats, legumes, seeds and nuts, seed and nut spreads, etc.

Below are some of my snack staples, that always find their way into my lunchbox.

1. Apple and Cheese Stick

2. Apple and Peanut Butter

3. Carrots and Hummus

4. Sprouted Grain Crackers and Hummus

5. Sprouted Grain Crackers and Guacamole

6. Cottage Cheese and Berries

7. Hard Boiled Egg

8. Instant Oats with Peanut Butter

9. Trail Mix with Dried Fruit