snacking checklist
It can be so hard to choose what we want to snack on. The diet industry has taught us to overthink our simple hunger cues and question the foods we enjoy.
Sometimes we just want to snack. I often have parents concerned about their teens' snacking habits and what I have to remind them is that teenagers are growing and developing so much and their energy requirements are much higher than ours.
Here are just a few things that demand more energy:
🧠 Brain development
😴 Little sleep
📖 High study demands
👩🏫 Balancing school and their social life.
⚽️ Managing their extra curricular activities
Instead of asking your teen if they really need another snack - invite them to check in with their body and how they feel and choose a snack that they are going to enjoy and keep them satisfied until their next meal.
Here is a checklist to run past them:
Do I feel like a snack?
Am I choosing something I enjoy?
Will my snack fill me up?
Will my snack give me energy
Do I have time to sit for a moment to enjoy it?
Simple changes to our language can have a really positive impact on the way young people think and feel about food. By inviting them to check in with their body and the food they enjoy, you are supporting them to develop a healthy relationship with food and their body.
So, with that in mind - can you organise a time with your teen to chat to them about their favourite snacks and make a plan so that it can be available to them in the house?
