Clean Eating snack ideas

Why is it important to eat every 2 to 3 hours a day

First you always want to start the day off with eating breakfast within the first hour of waking up, the biggest reason for doing so is to get your metabolism going.

Right off the bat I need you to know one thing: STOP starving yourself! It's so important to be eating every 2-3 hours a day.

WHY?

The key isn’t to starve. Actually, that’s exactly what you don’t want to do. What we want to do is to eat something every 2-3  hours. Most people eat 2-3 big meals per day. They go six, seven, sometimes, eight hours without food. When you don’t eat for a while your blood sugar really drops. And then when you eat after six, seven hours your blood sugar spikes. When your blood sugar spikes that causes there to be excess insulin in your blood. When there is excess insulin in your blood your body stores fat more easily. So the big question is, “Rachel, how do I change my body from a fat store to a fat burner?” It’s all about proper nutrition. The answer is simply this: 4-6 portion-controlled, balanced meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

By eating this way, you’ll effortlessly speed up your metabolism. Think of this way. If you have a campfire burning and you don’t add wood to the fire, eventually the campfire will burn out! But if you add a little wood every few hours, the campfire will continue to burn. And burn hot!!! It is also easier for your body to digest smaller meals than larger ones.

So, as you see, our metabolism is like the fire…never or rarely feed it and it will slow down. Feed it every few hours and it has no choice but to speed up! So the next questions what should I be eating every 2-3 hours?
Proteins and complex carbohydrates
Eating balanced throughout the day is not the only important factor to keeping your metabolism burning high and your body working well. Every meal (and snack) should include both carbohydrates and proteins. Understand that carbohydrates are 100 percent pure energy, fuel for the body. Proteins are the building blocks; but if no carbohydrates are available, the body will burn proteins. A carbohydrate should be eaten with protein to protect it from being wasted as a less efficient fuel source.  Protein is necessary for vital building functions:  boosting the metabolism, building body muscle,keeping the body fluids in balance, fighting infection, and feeling full longer.

 

It's best to have a protein and complex carbohydrate with every snack or meal.

Snack ideas:

Celery and almond butter
Carrots and 2 tablespoons of hummus Apple and raw almonds
Peach and unsalted cashews
Unsalted rice cake and almond butter
String cheese (low fat weight watchers) and handful of strawberries
Low fat cottage cheese with fresh peaches
Greek yogurt with raw honey and berries
Banana, tablespoon of almond butter half a whole wheat shell (this is a “bigger” snack)
Apple and almond butter
3 egg whites and Raspberries
Cherry tomatoes and raisins
 Eating healthy is a life style not a crash diet I can help you along the way.  We can do this together simple daily changes make big results over time.