Treating Yourself The Right Way - 101
You are casually going about your day when—out of nowhere—you’re hit with that nagging sensation of hunger. You’re not necessarily craving a full meal, just a little something to soothe that undeniable urge. Or maybe you’re not hungry at all, but those donuts Sally brought into the office are absolutely eyeing you down.
You’ve been hit with the classic case of the snack attack.
Ninety-five percent of U.S. adults eat at least one snack a day, 61% consume two to three snacks per day, and 27% snack four or more times daily. Snacks account for 22–24% of total daily calories, which roughly equals 400–500 calories for many adults. I don’t want to bore you with statistics, but I am going to speculate that the majority of snack sessions for the average American adult are not the most nutrient-dense source of calories.
Food is often associated with emotion. Whether we are celebrating, relaxing, stressed, or just bored, we find comfort in reaching for a treat. We tell ourselves we deserve it—or that we’ve earned it. There is nothing wrong with the occasional indulgence, and there’s no denying that food brings people together. I love that about food, and for me personally, that’s what originally drew me to the food industry.
However, we’ve become accustomed to the idea that it’s constantly okay to associate food as a reward and live by the motto “treat yo’ self.” We must ask ourselves: are we actually treating ourselves when we fuel our bodies with inadequate sources of nutrients?
Here is my guide to treating yourself in a way that feels good—not just emotionally, but physically as well.
As mentioned earlier, we receive biofeedback from our bodies through hunger cues. Sometimes, those messages are misinterpreted. For example, loss of concentration, weariness, or exhaustion. One might misread these signs and reach for a highly caffeinated, sugary beverage, when in fact the body is communicating that it needs more brain power—aka food.
A Simple Hunger Rule
Hunger Type → Best Macro Fix
Stomach hunger → Protein
Sugar cravings → Carbohydrates + protein
Never satisfied → Add fats
Low energy → Carbohydrates
Night cravings → Carbohydrates + protein
Pairing macronutrients together aids in steady and efficient digestion. For example, combining proteins and carbohydrates helps prevent rapid blood sugar spikes, provides steady energy, and keeps you fuller longer. Try sweet apple slices served with tart Greek yogurt and a dash of cinnamon.
Another thing to be cautious of is categorizing foods into the wrong macronutrient group. Two words: nut butter.
For quite some time, I was under the impression that I was getting a fabulous source of protein by adding peanut butter to my meals. While peanut butter does offer a mixed macronutrient profile, it leans mostly toward fat. Pairing fat with carbs is a great way to gain quick energy and manage satiety. So not only does peanut butter with banana taste delicious, but the fat content in the peanut butter helps slow sugar absorption from the banana.
Our gut is often referred to as our second brain. Fueling it with balanced snacks is crucial to maintaining a sustainable diet. When we feed our gut large amounts of highly processed, sugary, carb-heavy snacks, our hunger cues continue to lead us astray throughout the day. Often, people end up calling the whole day a loss simply because they indulged in one unhealthy snack.
My challenge to you is this: listen to what your body needs, not just what it wants. By no means am I saying you should never allow yourself to have that donut that’s winking at you—but consider pairing it with a source of protein. Often, after consuming protein, you may find you don’t actually want the donut quite as much. And if you do still indulge, your blood glucose will likely not spike as high.
While I personally stick to a mostly whole-food diet, I do keep some minimally processed snacks on hand because they’re often easier to travel with. Some of my favorites include grass-fed meat sticks, individually packaged cheese sticks or bites, hummus, rice cakes, and seeded crackers (I’m especially obsessed with Mary’s Gone Seeded Crackers).
Reminder: Always read your labels to check for added sugars and other unhealthy ingredients. Many packaged foods—like protein bars—are marketed as “healthy” but have nearly the same nutrition profile as a Snickers bar.
If you have time for meal or snack prep, I love hard-boiling a batch of eggs to keep on hand, along with cooked proteins like sliced chicken or turkey meatballs.
Some whole-food snack ideas that require little to no preparation include edamame, dates with nut butter and sea salt, and sweet potato with tahini.
Here’s one of my favorite recipes that carried me through my pregnancy and offers a balanced macronutrient spread:
Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup Greek yogurt or puréed cottage cheese
½ cup protein powder
(I typically prefer whey or isolate protein powders, but for this recipe I’ve found that a plant-based option works best. I love Truvani Vanilla!)¼ cup sweetener
(I used powdered date sugar, but maple syrup, coconut sugar, date syrup, or honey all work well)¾ cup oat flour or almond flour
¼ cup ground flax meal
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Combine all ingredients in one bowl and mix well. The dough will be very thick—that’s normal.
Scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet and gently flatten each cookie with your hand.
Bake for 8 minutes.
If using a whey-based protein powder, I find baking a little longer—closer to 15 minutes—works best.
Let cool slightly, then store in the refrigerator.
How to Enjoy These cookies are delicious at room temperature, lightly warmed, or—my personal favorite—straight out of the fridge.
Flavor Ideas Feel free to get creative! Add chocolate chips, chopped nuts, swirl peanut butter into the dough, or sprinkle in some cinnamon—whatever flavor tickles your fancy. I like to top mine with hemp seeds and cocoa nibs.
Now get out there and really “treat yo’ self”—with intention!