LIFE

Go ahead. Snack. It's fine.

Kathie Rowell
The Times

"Snacking definitely gets a bad rap," said Grey Rogers, a registered dietitian and certified health coach who is working on master's degree in public health.

But that's because for the majority of us the word snack instantly conjures up images of chips and candy, the kinds of foods that can put us at risk for being overweight or developing diabetes and other chronic diseases.

"I think most people tend to be in the mindset of snacks are something unhealthy, some sort of junk food," Rogers said. "I think snacks are a really great way to work some extra nutrition into the diet. It's a good way to work in more fruits, more vegetables — and resist the temptation of the vending machine and the candy bowl and whatever is sitting around at work."

But why are we such snack addicts?

Black kale chips

It's the sugar, which sets our bodies off on a roller coaster of highs and lows.

"People will have cereal for breakfast — that typically spikes the blood sugar," Rogers said. "When the blood sugar plummets back down because the body is trying to level it out, we feel hungry and sluggish and we feel the need to eat something, so we eat another sugary something, like a candy bar or we have a soda or some other quick energy food that spikes the blood sugar up again. We feel great for half an hour, then the blood sugar dies and we feel hungry again."

She said the first thing she hears from clients who start to eat more whole foods is an increase in energy level. "It's because blood sugar is not all over the place."

Work snacks were a weakness for Bridget White, who is participating in a healthy lifestyle program Rogers is involved in with KSLA called Knock It Off.

"I was a junk food junkie," she said. "I would snack on candy, Gummy Bears, Hot Tamales, lots of candy or chips out of vending machines."

At 73 days into the program, her snacks now consist of such healthy options as apples with peanut butter, flavored almonds and baby carrots.

But it wasn't easy — White found changing her snacking habits more difficult than her meal choices.

"It got easier as time went on, but at first snacking was very hard for me. Out of sight, out of mind. I don't buy candy, I don't buy chips. I don't buy any of that anymore. With time, it gets easier. With time you start craving healthy snacks."

She's determined to make this a permanent change because she saw the way unhealthy lifestyles contributed to health issues for family members and friends.

"I wanted to really take it seriously," she said.

Almonds are a great choice for a healthy snack.

Now, she's lost weight, has more energy and less bloating and foot swelling.

For previous Knock It Off participant Faison Autrey, home snacking was even more out of control than work treats and that was bad enough, especially around holidays.

"I would get home and it would be mindless snacking. A big, old bag of barbecue potato chips. I would eat a lot of candy. I'm a chocoholic — anything chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate candy, chocolate cookies."

For her, the first two weeks were the hardest.

"When you've had bad habits for so long, it becomes a part of who you are," she said.

She was determined, though, and was motivated by a short-term goal as well as a desire for long-term health.

She wanted to get back into her heels.

"My heels were my thing," Autrey said. "It got to the point I couldn't walk in them because my knees were hurting so bad. I was 270 pounds on a 5-feet 4-inch frame. I had to stop wearing high-heel shoes for six months. It broke my heart. "

Now?

"I am back in my heels with a vengeance. I'm running again. I can run. I can fit into clothes I hadn't worn in 10 years. I have two grandbabies, now I can keep up with them. I can get out there and run and play with them with no problems."

Autrey found that setting an eating schedule helped her stay on track.

"On days I work out, I eat between five and six times per day, little meals. My snacks are apples, peanut butter, maybe bananas, yogurt and granola."

She no longer buys potato chips or other unhealthy choices. "I don't have the desire to eat the things I was eating before," she said.

Her mantra: "I'm going to make a better choice today."

While scheduling mini-meals throughout the day works for Autrey, Rogers said whether to eat several times during the day or three regular meals really depends on the individual.

"My way of seeing things is there no one-size-fits-all diet. It really just depends on the person and their schedule and their needs. Some people don't get hungry in between meals, so three square meals are perfect for them."

But some people don't have a schedule that is conducive to regular mealtimes.

Rogers said she doesn't have a good time to eat lunch, so has breakfast, then maybe four snacks during the day before dinner in the evening.

And she's not a believer in calorie counting.

"Life is all about balance," she said. "In today's world, it is too difficult to have a perfectly clean diet. It's just hard to do. I like to kind of go by the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of the time I try to eat clean foods, real foods, things that aren't processed. Then I leave the 20 percent for the little indulgences. If it's my birthday, I'm not going to freak out about eating a piece of cake. Enjoy the cake! The next day get back on your regular schedule. Some people do that by having six days of healthy eating and one cheat day. Some people like to have one little indulgence every day. It really is about balance. People can get too obsessed with eating clean and that leads to falling the bandwagon in a big way and completely losing track of what you were doing. So I think little indulgence along the way can help people stay on the healthy track for a longer period of time."

Rogers said as long as people are working in an appropriate number of servings from all the food groups, it doesn't really matter how it happens.

Grey simplifies her diet philosophy this way:

"Eat what your grandma would have wanted you to eat, your fruits, your vegetables, your grains. She would not have given you a 100-calorie Oreo snack pack."

Healthy snack options

Registered dietitian and health coach Grey Rogers recommends these healthy snacks:

•Apple with peanut butter.

•Veggie sticks and hummus.

•Handful of unsalted almonds, cashews or other nuts.

•Green smoothie (frozen berries, banana, handful of spinach, almond milk, and a squeeze of honey — blend and freeze for later).

•Homemade trail mix (peanuts, dark chocolate, sugar-free dried fruit).

•Avocado and grapefruit with a sprinkle of salt ("It's surprisingly delicious.").

•Homemade granola bar (find healthy recipes online).

•Kale or eggplant chips (made in the oven or dehydrator).