Happy Saturday sweetlings!
I hope that you’re all having a beautiful one. Mine was pretty awesome, even though nothing spectacular happened – all I really did was shop and snack. First up, the shopping…
Baked lentil chips – Puffins – Almond butter (smooth and crunchy) – Rice cakes
Cottage cheese – Hummus (classic and Mediterranean) – Eggs – Grape kombucha
Cantaloupe – Cherries – Bananas – Strawberries
I also browsed some home furniture/accessory stores, but didn’t end up buying anything because… well… right now I’m mostly shopping for ideas. I want to get a good sense of what’s out there before I commit to anything big, and I’d rather start buying smaller stuff, like coffee makers and coat hangers, when I’m already living in my new place. I don’t want to stock up on stuff now, only to have more stuff to move when the actual day comes. Although I may regret my decision when I need to open a can of beans only to find that I don’t have a can opener. But I’ll cross that bridge when (if) I come to it.
So let’s move on to the second (and more delicious) part of my day: the snacking…
Banana topped with crunchy almond butter and a chocolate muffin.
Rice cake topped with cottage cheese, almond butter, and honey.
Chocolate pudding spiked with cocoa powder and topped with almond butter. Teeccino.
Greek yogurt topped with puffed wheat, Kashi Honey Sunshine, trail mix, and cinnamon.
Melty vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone.
And while we’re on the topic of snacking, there’s something that I wanted to talk about. I’m sure that we’re all more or less familiar with “smart snacking” – the idea that we should choose snacks that are nutrient dense and won’t spike our blood sugar, so that we’ll stay fuller longer. These snacks are usually high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats, and low in sugar. The picture of perfection.
I used to really buy into that idea, and would choose snacks based on what I thought was best for my body; snacks that would ensure optimal performance. For this reason, I avoided things like ice cream, cookies, and candy for a really long time – I was afraid that I would eat them only to be hungry again 20 minutes later. But the more that I experiment with my diet, the more I come to realize how faulty those beliefs really are. Here, let’s use what happened yesterday and today as an example…
Yesterday afternoon, I snacked on one of these…
Heaven in a bowl, aka. cottage cheese mixed with protein powder and cocoa, with a banana, granola, almond butter, and chocolate pudding added in.
Delicious, and high in protein and healthy fats – a “smart” snack. And yet it barely held me over for an hour before I was feeling snacky again.
Today, I snacked on one of these…
Heaven in a cone, aka. vanilla ice cream.
Delicious, but high in sugar, with barely any protein or healthy fats to speak of – a “not-so-smart snack”, if you will. And yet it held me over for a good 2.5 hours until it was time for dinner.
Both snacks are probably pretty close calorie-wise, and one is clearly “smarter” than the other, so why is it that the smart one didn’t manage to hold me over as long as the other one did?
Answer: because sometimes you just really need an ice cream cone. Or a cookie. Or some candy. Sometimes, satisfying your mind is the smarter thing to do.
I’ve been craving ice cream for a couple of days now, but opted out of having it yesterday because I figured that, after the hard workout that I had in the morning, my body would need protein and nutrients more than it needed… err… ice cream. But I can’t live with an unsatisfied craving for very long, so today, despite having had a pretty intense workout that morning, my body got ice cream instead of a “smart” snack.
And it was fine… and delicious.
The last bite is always the best.
I refuse to believe that food is simply fuel. The body craves nutrients, sure, but the mind craves pleasure, comfort, and enjoyment – and there’s nothing wrong with getting that from food. There’s physical hunger and mental hunger, and both sets of cravings need to be met in order for us to feel satisfied.
Have you ever eaten something that wasn’t what you really wanted, but more so what you thought you should eat? Were you satisfied after? My guess is probably not, and if you’re anything like me, then you were probably prowling the kitchen a short while later, trying to satisfy that peckish feeling, despite the fact that you just ate a full meal. Believe me, I know…
There’s a time and place for smart snacks, and there’s a time and place for not-so-smart snacks – the tricky part is figuring out the right time and place for each. But it’s possible. It just takes some trial and error, and I’m still trial-ing and error-ing, but learning along the way 😀
Have a good night, loves.
. – . – . – .
What’s your opinion on the idea of smart snacks? Do you find that they always hold you over as long as they “should”? Or do you find yourself sometimes surprised by the staying power of so-called “empty calorie” foods?
Hey. Im Suzie, new reader.
This is what I’ve discovered about blogging, finding different blogs with different views on food and yours is refreshing and true. I guess I struggle by ignoring my mental and physical hunger. My game is about retuning into it.
Reading your blog fills me with utter jealousy of your eating freedom but also hope and inspiration that its possible.
So thank you!
S. X
Thank you for taking the time to say hi, Suzie! Learning to listen to, and trust, your body definitely isn’t the easiest thing to do, but it IS possible, so don’t lose hope. It just takes some time and effort.
I 100% agree with this. I am sad that food has become a science because we have lost the knack of being able to listen to our bodies. More often than not we choose to eat what we think we should eat instead of what our bodies and minds truly want. Take today as a snack. I had a hot chocolate and cookies and it held me over much longer than if I’d had a “healthier” alternative of the same calorie density. Why? Like you, my mind was satisfied. Food is for pleasure, sharing, togetherness and sometimes comfort. Food shouldn’t be a math equation or scientific experiment. We eat what we truly want. No science needed 🙂
xxx
I do agree with you completely! When it comes to snacking, I try to eat all whole, clean and healthy, but sometimes a bowl of watermelon just do you no good, meanwhile snacking on some chocolate or ice cream really comforts your tummy and holds you full for a nice couple of hours 🙂 Your snacks look always delicious, whether they are healthy or “ice-cream-like”, the most important thing is that you enjoy them and feel good after eating them 🙂
I think your pretty bang on with this – yes food feeds and fuels our body but it should also feed our soul! Everyone’s ‘soul’ food is different, but I think eating something that satisfies you on both levels is best, then again if you want some ice cream then go for it! I think all of this comes down to really getting to know your own body and learning how to work with it 🙂
Yup totally agree, my cravings are really only satisfied if I completely fulfill them and don’t use some substitute- and that keeps me held over 🙂 French fries is a good example- when I’m craving them and I eat a portion, that stuff can tide me over as if I had some sort of an intense protein bar or the like; our bodies do have both physical and mental cravings which are sometimes interconnected and caused by all sorts of other stuff, like our hormones, environments, etc– I’ve learned the hard way it’s best not to disobey those cravings
Amanda,
do you want to be my personal snack – maker? You make such delicious looking in- between meals… ahhh ^^ And I can’t help but want to hug that Puffin penguin, it is cute!
I don’t think too much about smart snacking in terms of nutrition content any longer, because in my opinion it can make eating too complicated. It certainly has for me in the past. Hours spend planning and thinking of the “perfect snack” when all I actually wanted was to enjoy some crackers with cheese, chocolate etc . . .
Besides, as you also experiences from time to time, these smart snacks doesn’t allways satisfy our bodies for a longer period of time. I find that that often happens if I try to snack “smart” despite my body giving me very clear signals of what it wants, for instance an ice cream. We can’t fool our cravings. If we want chocolate we can eat veggies like a hungry rabbit, but we would still want that chocolate after we’re done with munching greens.
Besides, ice cream can be perfect snacks during the hot, summer days. It is refreshing and has important calcium in it. So, let’s just enjoy our ice creams and get on with our lives 🙂
Love you! <3
Eee I’ve definitely tried to satisfy many chocolate cravings with endless amounts of veggies, and the only thing that managed to do was make me incredibly bloated yet still unsatisfied. No good. Better to just eat the chocolate, enjoy it, and be done with it!
Your snacks look SO good! I’ve been loving rice cakes lately too 🙂
“Sometimes, satisfying your mind is the smarter thing to do.”
You’re so right! – I’ve realized that if I skip out on something I’m craving, I end up eating more of it later on. It’s best to just satisfy that craving. And like you said, it may just surprise me how long it holds me over. We definitely find satisfaction in things we want to eat 🙂
And lastly, you look gorgeous in your photo!
i love what you said about food as necessary for the mind – in terms of pleasure, enjoyment, and nourishment – as much as it is necessary for the body to function. i think so much of the healthy living blog community is focused on how to “optimize” food in terms of its nutritional content and fueling efficiency when that seriously takes all the fun out of food. yes, food is nutritionally important but i think when reducing food down to merely its nutrients, life is just not so fun. and i think it’s awesome you recognize that!
you glow girl, seriously! gorgeous! I eat a ton, like more than a teenage growing boy, A LOT… so I am never worried about picking the “right” snack, I eat so much food that I think it all balances out since I love good wholesome nutritious foods a lot too! For me, I think my body is pretty smart at telling me what it wants whether it be pb pancakes, sugar snaps peas, hummus, or a bowl of whip cream and fresh berries… I just go with it, that’s “smart snacking” for me.Listening to my cravings and eating them 🙂 it has worked for me so far. The only time I ever had to think about what a “good” or “right” snack would be is when I am sick, not feeling good, or off, and think a little bit about making sure I am getting enough protein, hydration, etc. Love reading your thoughts about this, well actually I love every post of yours!
Another great post! I am guilty of more likely than not choosing ‘smart’ snacks despite what my body craves. It does tend to do the trick but some days, I want to kick myself for not going with what I know would have done the trick! Meals at restaurants, however, are a different story! I remember I went to an expensive Italian restaurant and despite really wanting the pasta, I ordered the fish! I left the restaurant so unsatisfied and annoyed with myself and vowed to always go with what I want rather than what I ‘should’ eat…mental health=physical health, if not more!
Somtimes if I don’t give my body that high calorie fatty treat I end up eating wayyy too many healthy foods just trying to fill that void. Where as if i had just given my body what it wanted in the first place I wouldve consumed far less calories. Super weird how my body always knows exactly what it needs!! Cant wait to try the “heaven in a bowl” recipe, looks delish!!
I’m so jealous that you can just waltz on down to the store and pick up some puffins.
Where as I have to order online and painfully wait for them to arrive in my mailbox.
ITS A HARD KNOCK LIFE I TELLS YA!!
I can spend HOURS browsing furniture stores. Or even just looking at things like cups and plates. Not that I even need any of them… well in my mind I do.
Eeep your so gorgeous! I know I tell you everytime you post a photo of yourself, but you really are!!
Sometimes I really am suprised at how little a smart snack or meal will hold me over.
Like sometimes I am raiding the cupboard 1 hour later. I spose sometimes it might depend how active I have been that day and whether or not I’ve had a workout.
Awwwr thank you love <3 I used to blame an insatiable appetite on my workouts too, but now I definitely think it comes down to whether or not I've been eating what I'm craving. Like, if I want ice cream, I'll be hungry until I have ice cream, and nothing else will be able to satisfy me. It's a hard knock life for sure 😉
Haven’t seen that brand of Almond Butter!!
I love this, because I so often don’t eat what I really want in the moment, but end up regretting it and eating later anyway. I think the ‘smartest’ snack is one that satisfies mind and body, but those are SO often really hard to figure out. If only there was a miracle way to know what our body always needs 😛
I agree with you, always go with your cravings.
It sucks when you just can’t figure out exactly it is you want, you try a bunch of things and still aren’t satisfied.. have you experienced this?
Yes, that used to happen to me all the time when I was gaining weight in recovery, and it still happens now if I let myself get too hungry. It usually means that I just need more food.
Whenever I eat a Kashi granola bar, I get hungry an hour later, yet when I eat potato chips, I feel full. But the thing with the potato chips is that they make me feel bloated, so I usually try to stick with the granola bars. After looking at all the healthy snacks you bought, I’m going to try to stick to the healthy stuff as well!
I think if your mind’s not satisfied, then chances are your body probably won’t be! If it’s a post-workout snack I’m going for, my body actually craves that “perfect carb-protein ratio” snack it needs about 99% of the time. But if its a midafternoon snack – at which I normally have a luna bar – and I’m craving some ice cream or pretzels and a laughing cow wedge? I totally go for what my tastebuds want!
I totally agree with you! There are times when I feel like I just have snack.. after snack.. of “good snacks” and I am never satisfied. Tonight – I had a brownie. With caramel and nuts.. …little to no nutritional value. That was almost 2 hours ago. I am not the slightest but hungry!
Love this!! And I love all your snacks! Cottage cheese used as a spread is so delicious! I always eat it like that too!
Reppin those rice cakes and Synergy 😉
I really need to start mixing cottage cheese with things and getting creative like you do– I would’ve never even thought of the cottage cheese/protein powder combo!
When it comes to snacking, I literally ask my body what it wants. I’ve trained it to not crave too many sweets (..usually) so I trust myself and my desires pretty well!
You preach it girl! I agree 100% . I used to smart snack but now I just eat what I crave usually 🙂
I went shopping today too! Looked for grape kombucha – could not find any 🙁 I did buy rice cakes though and I’m super excited to pimp them out 😀
I think people put waaay too much thought into what they eat. Eat what you want and you will feel satisfied. I can’t blame them though because the media sure has done a good job of messing with our minds.
Awe you are so gorgeous. It’s like your glowing! Maybe it’s that smart snacking if yours 🙂
I try to listen to what my body wants at some points. After workouts I try to get protein in but if it’s just an afternoon snack I listen to what I want
oh! and i meant to tell you. im a big rice cake fan as well, the last time i went to the store i saw kamut puff cakes lightly sweetened with agave and they are 37842342x better than my rice cakes. you should look for them and give them a try if you can find them. ♥
You’re so pretty Amanda!
I totally agree with this. I’ve eaten those VitaTops before (with like a bajillion grams of fiber), an still wanted moremoremore.
I feel the flip side is harder to deal with though, when I haven’t eaten in hours but still aren’t getting any growly signals
i can totally relate and then totally not relate at the same time.
i’m at a point where my body is craving food constantly, HOWEVER my nutritionist always tells me to eat snacks and meals higher in protein and fats and they should keep me satisfied longer. yet i feel like even when i do that, i am still hungry a few hours later. but then again, my body may just be craving food every 2 hours regardless of what i put in it right now.
but i have always been a firm believer in you should indulge every once in awhile because yes i agree your body “needs” those “bad” snacks once in awhile. maybe its mental, maybe its not, but in all honesty submitting to your cravings every once in awhile will not wreck ANY diet. and you will not gain 10 pounds overnight. so eat your ice cream! and not your fat free sugar free 100 calorie cone ice cream. eat some real food!
I was hungry all the time in recovery too. It’s a good thing 🙂 It just means that your metabolism is starting to work again, so embrace it, girl!
Cottage cheese works with everything. Nom nom.
I’m the same way with snacks. I just had a brownie. Oh my god. A fattening brownie as a snack. So what. I just really wanted chocolate.
Oh, yeah you always gotta go with what you want or else.
Remember when asking yourslef what you wanted was like…”what???”
Not even a distant thought.
You knew what you were having (thank you ED menu planner).
We are ALL emotional eaters. God made it that way. Hello breastfeeding example numero uno.
I loved this post! Now im craving my nighttime snack! I agree with you – if your craving it then go for it – you’ll be more satisfied and it will hold you till your next meal!
Great picture of yourself – you look so happy!
Have a great sunday – and your right – the last bit of ice cream is definately the best!
yes this reminds me of when I went to London I tried gelato icecream yeah the proper stuff!! was awesome and I was a bit nervous about eating it as worried it would have made me hungry quite quickly but was surprised with how full it kept me. I do try and vary my snacks but have found I have stick to the same thing recently, so thanks for the reminder I will look out for some different snacks.
I love to see the face behind the blog- you are glowing!
My snacks &meals are generally mahoosive, so I’m normally able to fit in a good mix of smart foods and any slightly less nutritous goodies I might fancy. I TOTALLY agree with your message that food is not just fuel! I hate to feel guilty for eating purely for pleasure- posts & blogs like this really help me overcome these feelings.
I’m not really an ice-cream fan at all- buy you could make crave anything with your pictures! They’re seductive.
Glad you enjoyed your Saturday- snacking & shopping sounds ideal to me.
Xxx
I think you hit the nail on the head with your last comments, there – there is a time and a place for each. If I know I have a long day ahead of me, I do try to snack on things that are more nutrient dense…but like you said… if i’m craving something in particular, i might as well just have it, because otherwise i’ll just keep thinking about it!
and i’m glad i met someone else who’s as obsessed with rice cakes as i am 😉
That’s hilarious – I just bought virtually half of the exact same stuff that you got. And guess who found some Oikos at Safeway? 😀
Hmm. I think cravings exist for a reason, so we should honour them the majority of the time. Within reason, I’m partial to giving myself treats as a snack, but I tend to differentiate between a snack and a full-on dessert. And yes, going for the “healthy” option isn’t always the smartest thing, no matter what the experts say 🙂
!! I went to Safeway to see if they had Oikos, but they didn’t at the one I visited, and I didn’t really feel like driving to all of the different locations in the city to find it. I’ll just sit tight with my Liberte until it shows up.
Ive learned that when you are physically hungry, there is also a mental aspect to fill. If I am deciding between an ice cream cone or a bowl of power oats and choose the oats although I wanted the cone, I will still be hungry. Also, Ive found when I choose what I want, I eat less than if I were eating “smart.”
Yum! those food buys look delish! Great photo 🙂
Such another awesome post! Seriously, you always just rawk (rock haha) them out! I love this concept. A lot of time when I don’t eat what I truly want, I will end up eating a bunch more because I didn’t eat just what I wanted to in the beginning! Which reminds me.. it’s snack time.
You look gorgeous in that picture! I usually tend to go with smarter snacks, and a lot of the time they do hold me over. But, if I am craving something sweeter and not as “smart” then I’ll go with it. If I don’t, then I’m definitely like you and I end up eating more of other things to try and fulfill that craving. Satisfying the craving is important. I’ve definitely learned this over time! To be honest though, most snacks never really fill me up not matter what they are haha.
Nice grocery haul and delicious snackaroos! Isn’t cottage cheese the moat tasty and versatile food? 😀
I totally know what you mean about healthy vs. craving, sometimes my yogurt messes won’t hold me at all if I have one for lunch, but a pizza? Guaranteed happy belly 🙂 And don’t even get me started on how apples are supposed to keep you full…yeah right, more like increase appetite exponentially!
If a snack isn’t healthy, but I’m in the mood for it, I eat it. I deprived myself too long in my ED days and I never wanna let that voice take charge again. Cheers to melty ice cream and last bites of cones!
Gah! Don’t even get me started on apples. I’ve pretty much given up on eating them because of what they do to my hunger. It’s crazy enough on its own without being amplified by apples.
I agree with Veggie Girl, great photo! I find that if I’m actually craving my ‘smart-snack’ then it will hold me over for a long time, but if I’m just eating it because it’s the right thing, then I’ll find myself craving something more much sooner.
I love seeing your shopping buys, everything looks so delicious!
That happens to me too. As long as I’m eating what I’m craving, I seem to be fine… but as soon as I deny those cravings to eat something else, then I run into problems.
Love that photo of you! You’re glowing!
Snacks and their “staying power,” I think, just depend on how hungry you are on that particular day.