Are You Snacking More Than Usual?

Facts and information about the coronavirus pandemic are constantly changing. Visit the CDC site for the most up-to-date information during the COVID-19 outbreak.

You’re doing your part to mitigate the spread of coronavirus: practicing social distancing, washing your hands properly, and staying home as much as you can. These actions help flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, and they keep you, your family, and your community safe. But staying healthy while staying at home for an extended period of time comes with its own challenges. One of the issues that many homebound families are dealing with during the coronavirus outbreak is increased snacking.

Maybe you’re eating out of boredom, or because you’re constantly around food. Eating may be a source of comfort for you, or maybe you typically pair family time with a snack spread; staying home means lots of family time, which means lots of snacking.

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Snacking isn’t always bad

Snacking isn’t necessarily bad for you; it all depends on what you eat and how much you eat. Constantly snacking on unhealthy comfort foods combined with less physical activity leads to weight gain. Eating healthy snacks in moderation is perfectly fine.

Designate meal times and snack times

Choose specific times for meals and snacks instead of grazing all day long. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be supplemented by mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Don’t eat a snack if you aren’t hungry, but don’t eat snacks outside of your designated snack times.

Choose the right portion size

Eating food directly from the package makes it difficult to know just how much you’re eating. Look at the serving size on the packaging and choose an appropriate portion size based on the serving size. Put your food on a plate so you can see what a serving size looks like.

Choose healthy snacks

If you find snack foods too tempting, keep them out of your home. Replace chips, cookies, and candies with healthy snack options such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and nuts. Get creative and pair different flavors and textures. Crisp celery with creamy hummus is a delicious and nutritious combination.

Calories in and calories out

Maintaining a healthy weight isn’t just about the type and amount of food that you eat. Physical activity is an important part of staying at a healthy weight. Make sure that you are getting physical activity and exercise every single day.

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

While you should try to maintain healthy eating habits and choose healthy foods, don’t obsess about a little weight gain, and don’t beat yourself up if you stray a little from your normal healthy diet. It’s a difficult time. Don’t add to the stress and anxiety of a pandemic.