Anti-Aging Strategies

Even health food aficionados meet their downfall when it comes to those long empty periods between meals. Yet there are ways to remedy hunger urges in a positive way.

Snacking by itself is not bad. In fact, experts suggest that the three-meal-a-day system is not how we were meant to eat anyway. Back in the hunter-gatherer days there was about a 3-second delay between downing our fallen prey and popping it into our mouths. Even back at the cave, it's unlikely that we sat down at regular intervals, said grace, and chowed down with our napkins on our laps. We ate as we could, when we could, and usually were plenty hungry.

There are interesting analogies within the animal kingdom. The Siberian tiger will sleep during the hottest time of the day, awaken at 9:00 p.m., and begin browsing for his suppera time when he will need the least amount of energy expenditure. Dolphins become playful after they have consumed a big school of fish and are satiated. It's true with animals and with people that diet and energy levels for play and work (exercise) are neatly intertwined with how full stomachs are.

Whereas the urge to snack often means hungeran indication that the body is asking for nourishmentit might also mean that you're bored, tired, angry, happy, in love, out of love, nervous, lonely, or (toughest of all) trying to quit smoking. In other words, you must become aware of your reason for wanting that snack. Because hunger responds to a variety of cues, you have to be careful not to let your perceived oral needs get you into trouble. In other words, snack smart.

How? First, cut out the snacks when you're not truly hungry. In fact, try to cut out eating altogether when you really don't need to eat. That includes chips in front of the TV, stopping at the pub after work, and, of course, that late-night bowl of ice cream.

But when you're truly hungry, you do need to eat. Ads for candy bars have played to this for years. There are some great alternatives, though. Here are some ideas:

If you're possessed by a sweet tooth, don't forget fruit. Bananas contain plenty of potassium and contain only about 70 to 100 calories. If you must have something to crunch, check out dried bananas and pineapples. Apples also supply that satisfying crunch, provide vitamin A, and are tremendously refreshing. Oranges are another terrific snack and are high in vitamin C. Plus you can eat as many as you like.

If you're hankering for some grain-based carbs, try a slab of wholewheat toast, skip the butter, and spread on a layer of all-fruit (unsweetened) jam or jelly. For a midmorning snack, try a container of nonfat yogurt; it's only around 100 calories.

Do you ever get into the midafternoon and start to run on empty? This is a common occurrence, once again caused by gaps in your intake. Take heartyou can fight midafternoon blahs any number of ways. Try microwave popcorn, nonfat frozen yogurt, fruit, or low-fat whole-grain cookies. Now that carrots are available in peeled bite-sized pieces, they've become even more accessible as a great snack. Not only do they supply lots of vitamin A, but they satisfy that need to crunch.

For a time, anyway, an enlightened airline or two offered Dr. Cookie, a healthy alternative to the usual peanuts that come with your in-flight beverage. And speaking of flying, sitting for long hours in the dry air of a jet cabin can deplete your level of hydration as well as your potassium stores. So drink several glasses of water before, during, and after your flight. Eat a banana and drink lots of OJit's always on the beverage cartto keep you from getting excessively tired or weak with hypokalemia (low potassium).