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Snacking Through The Stress: Saying "I DO" to Healthy Treats

By David Herber

Snacking through the Stress: Saying "I Do!" to Healthy Treats!

Stressful snacking and emotional eating may pack on the pounds when your BIG day is on the way! Picking the dress, finding a good band or DJ, fine tuning the guest list, sampling the catering menu and CAKE options! Arrrrrgggghhhhhh!! It seems like the months leading up to your wedding day are filled with stress that can lead to overeating and weight gain! But it doesn't have to. Exercise2u has listed the top 5 pre-wedding healthy snacks to help you survive pre-wedding stress and emotional eating!

  1. Amazing Almonds! Current research has shown that out of all the healthful nuts and seeds out there, almonds by far are the healthiest! Full of antioxidant flavanoids and healthy monosaturated fats, almonds help suppress your appetite, lower your cholesterol, and may help you lose weight. But be careful, almonds also are high in
    calories, at 162 calories an ounce, make sure you add those calories in to your daily caloric requirements.
  2. Green Tea Greatness! It's no secret that to shed pounds you need to stop drinking high calorie sodas and gourmet coffee drinks. What is a sluggish bride-to-be to do? Make the switch to green tea! Green tea is simple to brew at home and comes in a variety of infused flavors! Brew up a big pot on Saturday or Sunday, use Splenda or another sugar substitute to sweeten, and use the bottles that your bottled water comes in to store the green tea, refrigerate! Then you'll have green tea ready to go, to work, to the gym, or when you run your pre-wedding errands around town! Why green tea? First, it's a powerful anti-oxidant. Yes... just like vitamin C and beta-carotene! But researchers have suggested that the active ingredient (called epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG for short), may be up to 200 times more powerful than vitamin E as an oxidant. Green tea may be useful as a glucose regulator -- meaning it slows the rise in blood sugar following a meal. It does this by slowing the action of a particular digestive enzyme called amylase. This enzyme is pivotal in the breakdown of starches (carbs), that can cause blood sugar levels to soar following a meal. Green tea has also helped aid weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate, causing those who use it to experience greater calorie burn. A recent study further validates green tea's effectiveness. A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 81, No. 1, 122-129, January 2005), indicated the ingestion of a tea rich in catechins (catechins are a major component of green tea extract) leads to both a lowering of bodyfat AND of cholesterol levels.
  3. Low-Carb Wedding Wrap! There's no doubt in my mind that if you're on a diet plan for your wedding, it's low-carb! And that's fine, as long as you don't eliminate all fruits and vegetables from your diet! But here is a simple, high protein, low-carb snack that you can eat at work, on the run or at home. Simply buy reduced fat mozzarella string cheese and low-fat deli-sliced turkey meat. Wrap a slice or two of turkey meat around the string cheese and devour! Need some flavor? Add a teaspoon of hot mustard or spicy brown mustard to give your wrap a spicy, no-calorie added kick! Total Calories: 1 Reduced-Fat Cheese Stick + 2 slices of Low-Fat Deli Turkey = 90 calories: 13 grams of Protein, 3 grams of carbs and 2.5 grams of fat! Perfect for stopping those hunger pangs and staying within your carbohydrate limit.
  4. Get Your Crunch On! If you are missing the crunchiness of crackers and cookies on your pre-wedding diet, don't fear. Bell peppers in red, green, orange and yellow variety are a great solution to bring back the crunchy feeling our mouths sometime crave along with the sweetness. While often mistaken for the spicy chili pepper, bell peppers are more crunchy and tangy, than hot and spicy. A cup of raw peppers only has 25 calories so you can get away with eating a lot of peppers with no fear of gaining weight! One cup of raw, chopped red peppers provides over 100% of the DV for vitamin C and vitamin A. Red peppers are also an excellent source of the vitamins K and B6. Green peppers are a very good source of fiber and folate as well as the minerals molybdenum and manganese. In addition to beta-carotene, red peppers contain the beneficial phytonutrients lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Bell peppers are best enjoyed washed thoroughly, sliced and then refrigerated or iced.
  5. Show You the Whey! Most females do not take in enough protein in their daily diets to keep their muscles fueled and toned. If you are having trouble getting your recommended daily allowance of protein(.8 grams per pound of body weight), you may want to consider adding a whey protein supplement to your diet. Here are four ways that whey protein can help with weight loss: 1. Protein requires more energy to digest than other foods (called the thermic effect of food). This helps use more calories and hence may help with weight loss. 2. High quality proteins such as whey protein help to preserve lean muscle tissue while you lose fat. If your body doesn't get enough protein and the important essential amino acids on a daily basis it will strip? them from existing muscle tissue. 3. Protein also helps to slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. This in turn reduces hunger by reducing insulin levels and making it easier for the body to burn fat. 4. Protein has a greater ability to promote satiety than do fat and carbohydrates. Whey protein contains a special component called glycomacropeptide, or GMP. GMP helps promote the release of cholecystokinin or CCK, which is an appetite-suppressing hormone. This may help you feel full and hopefully stop eating sooner.

In addition to weight loss, another important side benefit of whey protein is its ability to support the immune system. It promotes the formation of glutathione, an anti-oxidant, which plays a key role in supporting the immune system. This is especially important during periods of stress and disease and for individuals who exercise aggressively or smoke.

So there you have it! Five healthy snacks that you can say "I DO" to anytime during the stressful days leading up to your wedding! Remember, keeping your body fueled every three to four hours helps keep your metabolism elevated and the weight off!

Disclaimer: Not everyone has the exact nutritional needs and some may have special metabolic conditions or food allergies. Please check with your doctor or registered dietician before implementing any of the suggestions above. Any advice given in this article is not intended as a substitute for medical or other personal professional counseling.

About the Author:

David Herber is a personal trainer located in New Castle, PA. His website is www.Exercise2U.com