One of the assumptions people make about me all the time is that I must not snack very often, if ever at all. This is far from the truth. In fact, quite the opposite is the case. On average, I have anywhere from 2-4 snacks per day, depending on how late I stay up at night. This is in addition to 3 regular meals. How do I get away with it? The difference is, as always, WHAT I eat.

Trust me when I say that I would not be getting away with it if I were eating Cheetos and ice cream for my snacks. But I am as conscious about my snack choices as I am about my meal choices. First of all we SHOULD be mindful about what we’re snacking on. So often I find (especially in the work place) that people snack mindlessly. They are hardly conscious of the fact that their hands are moving fatty, sugary, highly processed foods in a steady stream into their mouths and their certainly not aware of how much they’re shoveling in. I, on the other hand, plan my snacks just as I do my meals. They come to work with me prepared and portioned into a single serving size. So, what are my healthy snack options? Here is a list of a few of my favorites:

• 2 hard boiled eggs and a piece of fruit
• nonfat plain cottage cheese (or nonfat plain Greek yogurt sweetened with 1T agave) and a cup of berries
• hummus and raw veggies
• raw nuts and piece of fruit
• protein smoothie (8 oz almond milk, 1 scoop whey protein powder, 1 cup frozen fruit)
• 1/2 chicken breast and 1/2 cup veggies (yes, a snack can be a smaller meal!)

The simple fact is, I plan and prepare, not just for my work day but also when I’m out on the weekend taking care of errands. If I leave things to chance, chances are most likely, that I’ll be forced to make some not so healthy choices and thus, sabotage my fitness goals. It doesn’t take much to stay on track!