How your snack choices can make or break your next meal

Human beings have been snacking for a long time, with the word itself dating back to the 18th century. Not strictly consumed for hunger or nutrition alone, sometimes a snack can be part of a mental break, giving you an excuse to take a pause from your routine or your busy work schedule. Snacks can also satisfy a mental or emotional craving rather than a hunger-based one, as sometimes you just yearn for a little sweet treat or salty afternoon snack, even if you’re not particularly hungry. Having a few bites of something between meals usually won’t hinder the rest of your eating schedule, but it’s good to be aware of how snacking can affect your next meal.

It’s important to consider the why behind your snacking when it comes to your next meal. If you haven’t eaten much in the day already, or if you’re feeling lightheaded or otherwise physically reacting to real hunger, don’t ignore your urge to snack, but try to focus on nutritious and filling foods, like fruit and nuts or carrots and hummus. But if you’ve had plenty to eat already and you may just be bored or craving something sweet, frivolous snacking may impact your ability to consume and enjoy a full meal later in the day or evening. In fact, excessive snacking can even lead to skipping your next meal completely, as you may not be hungry enough for a real meal, which means you’d likely miss out on getting essential vitamins and nutrients into your body that come with a full meal of diverse ingredients.

One of the most difficult parts of regulating your snacks or snacking habits is being cognizant of portion sizes. If you’re not paying attention to how much you’re snacking on, especially if it’s a bit of mindlessly reaching into a bag of chips or popcorn every few minutes, it can be incredibly easy to accidentally consume two to three times the quantity of the suggested serving size, leading you to risk not being hungry for your next proper meal. Instead of a family-sized bag of chips, reach for one of ten easy snack plate combos that work any time of day.

Foods that are highly or ultra-processed are not ideal to snack on, as they usually are short on meaningful nutrients for your body while being high in calories, as well as sugar and sodium. Given this, choose your snack food mindfully, looking for something that will satisfy your hunger as well as your cravings without consuming so much that you’ll need to forego lunch or dinner later. If you’ve had an early lunch and plan on having a late dinner, it’s only fair that you may become hungry sometime in the afternoon. Rather than struggle through until dinner in a few hours, have a snack that will sustain you until your evening meal, ideally something with a bit of protein and fiber, which can both usually help keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer than a few handfuls of empty carbohydrates. So the next time a snack craving hits, lean into one of these 30 healthy snack ideas that won’t ruin your diet, or your dinner.