In order to keep our metabolism performing at a consistent level, we must continue to fuel our bodies throughout the day.
During your regular daily tasks, aim to eat every 2-3 hours. It is super important to fuel your body when you feel hunger coming on, because that’s the time when we’re most likely to diverge from healthy meal choices.
Eat slowly and make sure your portions are appropriate. The longer you wait to eat, the more your body craves processed foods and you’re more likely to overeat.
I’m sure you’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of day, and in any case this is true! You should be eating breakfast within 30 minutes after you wake up to stabilize blood sugar levels, and make sure to drink some water as well - you’ll stay full & satisfied until your pre-lunch snack.
Check out my morning routine below. Breakfast happens right away!! I cannot stress enough how important it is to eat and fuel your body first thing in the morning.
Want a meal plan with different food prep ideas every day of the month? Join the BTES APP with daily workouts, recipes, and more features that will help you see results in no time!
Aim to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time each day - routine can really help establish positive eating habits and keep blood sugar consistent, meaning you’ll have more stable energy levels and be more productive since time management is a big component of achieving goals!
Want to know more about your metabolism? Check out this blog with my 5 Steps To Boost Your Metabolism!
Snacking Throughout The Day
Adding a snack in sometime between breakfast/lunch and lunch/dinner will help you to avoid overeating at mealtime and to keep your digestive system functioning at its best. These snacks should be protein-oriented and healthy! Its important to snack even if you don’t feel particularly hungry between meals.
Having a snack ensures that your body is processing food efficiently since it’s never left to guess when the next meal is coming.
If you deprive yourself of food, even for a few hours, the body slows down digestion and stores away as much as it can of that food just in case you decide to not eat again! Your body basically doesn't trust you to feed it when this happens.
Healthy snacking doesn't have to be rocket science. What I have found is to have all your snacks ready to go for the week. This way you wont find yourself stopping at the gas station for something processed and high in fats when you are out and about. Here are 7 of my quick and easy, go to snacks.
We've got the 80% nutrition covered, now what about the 20% fitness? Sign up for this months challenge to make sure you are getting your workouts in too!
What I Snack On..
Greek Yogurt- Make sure that your yogurt has more protein in it than sugars and fats. I always have a couple of these in my fridge.
Apples and Nut Butter - Almond butter is one of my favorites to eat with apples. This is a great balance of protein and healthy fats.
Hard Boiled Eggs- Add a little Everything But The Bagel Seasoning and you are good to go.
Pears with Cottage Cheese - You can go sweet or savory with cottage cheese. I like sweet with fruit, however you can add Sriracha for some spice! Try it out sometime.
Avocados - I love a good avocado. Especially one with a small seed in the middle so I can get all the goodness!! Add a little salt and pepper and your all set.
Trail Mix - The best part about trail mix is that you can make your own! Use your favorite nuts, some dried fruit and maybe some peanut butter chips for something sweet! Trail mix is great to keep your blood sugar levels steady and energize you throughout the day.
Mug Muffins - Super easy and quick to make. Add some chocolate chips to satisfy your sweet tooth.
If you are looking to up your snack game, check out some fun and delicious recipes below that will keep you satisfied throughout the day.
Beet Hummus with Veggies
Ingredients:
- 1 can of organic chickpeas
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2 heaping tbsp of tahini
- 1 healthy pinch of salt
- 1 healthy pinch of pepper
- 1/2 cup of canned beets
Directions:
- Place all ingredients into the blender
- Blend into smooth
- Place into a bowl
- Add a drizzle of olive oil
- Add some roasted edamame on top
- Choose your veggies for dipping!
Avocado Eggs
Ingredients:
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 2 tbsp mashed avocado
- 1/2 tsp mustard
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Dill, to taste
- Paprika, for garnish
Directions:
- Slice hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise.
- Remove yolk from whites and set in a bowl.
- Add avocado, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper and dill weed.
- Mix together until creamy.
- Spoon or pipe filling into empty whites. Garnish with paprika.
Tuna Stuffed Avocado
Ingredients:
- 2 avocado, halved and pitted
- 2 cans tuna, drained
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp jalapeno, minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Scoop out some of the avocado from the pitted area to widen the "bowl" area.
- Place the scooped avocado into a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Mash it with a fork.
- Add the tuna, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro to the mixing bowl.
- Pour lime juice over.
- Stir it all together until everything is well mixed.
- Scoop the tuna into the avocado bowls.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy your snacking! Remember to eat 3 meals and 3 healthy snacks a day. This is a good way to reach your protein number and feed your muscles what they need to grow. If you have more questions about nutrition, check out the 5 Day Better You Program. Here you will get linked up with one of my amazing coaches and receive a customized nutrition plan!
See you on the next workout!
Rebecca
Alla Smelyansky
May 05, 2021Thank you very much!