6 Snacking Tips That Will Help Keep Your Energy Up All Day

After you eat breakfast or lunch, it takes about three to five hours for your stomach to digest the food, reports Dr. Edward Bitok, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Loma Linda University. So if your break between meals is longer than five hours, reach for a snack, otherwise you’ll definitely feel a slump in energy and focus. Despite how lovely you are, no one wants to see you hangry.

When you picture a snack, your mind probably goes straight to something you can munch on. But guess what: You can sip your snacks, too. One eight-ounce glass of V8 Original 100% Vegetable Juice is so rich with vitamins A and C (not to mention a full two servings of fruits and vegetables) that it’s way more satisfying and energizing than whatever bar is stuffed in your desk drawer.

You’ve probably heard that a protein-packed breakfast will keep you satisfied all day long. But it has even more benefits. Research suggests that while sugar blocks neurons that help keep you awake, the amino acids in protein prevent that from happening. So if you chow down on a giant sub-sandwich at lunch time (hello, carbs), you might want to reach for a bag of jerky later to stave off the mid-afternoon naps.

You know when you reach for the bag of chips, but an hour later you feel hungry/tired? Same. That’s because simple carbs (think: anything that’s highly refined like pretzels and cookies) cause your energy to spike, then quickly drop, Harvard Medical school explains. Instead, reach for whole-grain snacks if you're craving anything along those lines. They take longer to digest and will give you sustained alertness.

All right, now you know exactly why a bag of chips isn’t the best decision. But that doesn’t mean resisting a sweet handful is easy—especially when the craving strikes. Take steps to make sure it’s harder to make bad snack choices, like purging your house of unhealthy options and always carrying around your nutritious snack of choice so you won’t give into an impulse buy when you’re hungry.

Spoiler: It's exactly the same thing. The only difference is what you associate with the word “snack.” If you’re like us, probably a crinkly wrapper and something indulgent. A study conducted by the American Heart Association found that men and women associate snacking with unfavorable dietary intake patterns. So if you think of it as a mini meal, you’re more likely to choose nutrient-dense foods like fruits and veggies that won’t cause you to crash later.