Ciaran Russell

What is a Snaccident. (pr: Snax-eh-dent). It is when food (a snack) is consumed in an accidental, often regrettable way. This can refer to accidentally eating food of questionable quality and/or quantity. Snacking can be an issue for a lot of people when it comes to trying to reach any health, weight loss or fitness goals. Here six ways to take control of your snacking habits. (1.) Controlling your food environment. The problem here is you may be surrounding yourself with the temptation that’s increasing the chance you’ll give in to those cravings. Put physical barriers between you and the food, in other words make it harder to get to. Move them from one press to another to interrupt the pattern. Or don’t buy them in the first place. Making it more difficult, you’re more likely to give up on it. (2.) Pick foods that fill you up. There’s nothing wrong with eating food that doesn’t fill you, but you’ll be back an hour later for more. Increase your protein intake, think meat, dairy, eggs, cheese, yogurt, shakes. Opt for more water-rich foods, such as potatoes, beans and fruit. Foods high on the satiety index will keep you fuller for longer. Remember carbs are not the enemy, they’re a fantastic source of energy and fibre. (3.) Beware of food that tastes amazing! Your body want energy, this energy comes from the food and drink you consume. It particularly wants food with a mix of protein, carbs, fats and salt. Eating foods containing high amounts of these and you will crave more. The solution? Don’t restrict any food from your diet, simply reduce the frequency you have them. (4.) Sort out your sleep. Maybe you’re not sleeping enough or the quality of your sleep is poor, or maybe both. This leads to you feeling tired and cranky, craving quick energy. This means you make poor food choices. What you can do is aim to get to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Your body clock doesn’t know it’s the weekend! Keep your bedroom dark and cool to improve the chances of staying asleep. Reduce your screen time an hour before bed to allow your brain to wind down. (5). Make sure you’re active every day. Part of the problem is that you’re not exercise enough and that you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Which means you’re not burning many calories during the day. Aim for 8000+ steps per day, resistance training is a great way to keep active, find something you enjoy doing and do it often. (6.) Reduce your stress levels. The problem is you’re busy at work or at home and feel like you’ve loads to do. All these stresses pile up and contribute to you eating emotionally to feel better. Tackle the root cause to reduce your overeating, the stress. Allocate time in the day just for you, to read or go for a walk. Try some meditation, headspace is a great app to use. Look back at tips 1-5 to help reduce your stress too. Find out your total daily calorie expenditure by using my Calorie Calculator here: bit.ly/ciaranscaloriecalculator or scan the QR code in the image.