We often associate snacks with children and yet adults are also entitled to their snacks, particularly when we want to lose weight. Paradoxical? Not quite, as Alexandra Murcier, dietitian-nutritionist, explains to us.
When we talk about snacks, we spontaneously imagine the little snack we give the children at 4:30 p.m. after a day of school. But adults are also entitled to their snack, in the middle of the afternoon.
Eating a snack has several benefits
In the collective unconscious, we always imagine that snacking is a bad habit, an unnecessary calorie intake and that it would ruin the efforts made by those who want to lose weight. This is not true.
The first advantage of snacking is to avoid eating anything and snacking, as Alexandra Murcier points out. “Integrating a snack into your day, thought out in advance, allows you to avoid compulsive snacking or buying whatever you want, from the vending machine or the local convenience store.”. By preparing your little snack in advance, with a “well-structured snack, this even allows nutritional intake to be optimized” adds the dietician-nutritionist. “For example, a fruit added as a snack helps boost vitamin intake, especially if you don't consume enough during meals.” she further specifies.
Snack time helps you eat less in the evening
The second advantage of the snack allows “to avoid arriving home very hungry in the evening, and to snack while preparing the meal” states the expert. This will therefore help people who want to lose weight not to eat between meals, and even less to choose inappropriate foods, because they are too hungry at that time. Finally, the mid-afternoon snack lightens the evening meal,”who tends to be very rich when one is very hungry” says Alexandra Murcier.
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So what should you choose as a little snack at 4 p.m.?
As our expert recommends, the snack cannot be improvised. For her part, Alexandra Murcier recommends oilseeds. “I often recommend almonds, but also walnuts, hazelnuts, well all oilseed provided they are unsalted.. For what ? Because they “create satiety and are sources of essential fatty acids. They are also easier to transport. Practical if you want to eat something at the office.
At home, you can opt for natural yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit, says the specialist. “And for those who prefer savory, it is also possible to prepare a slice of wholemeal bread with a little unsweetened peanut butter to spread on it. she concludes.
Slide: Snack: 10 tips for a light snack
