This is a part of my 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge Article Series! Read about the challenge and see all of my posts HERE!

I get a lot of questions regarding willpower and how to avoid snacking. As it turns out, eating healthy and sticking to the clean eating way of life is actually about snacking more often on healthy stuff! If you’re not hungry, that white flour bagel or sugary Starbucks drink becomes far less attractive, and willpower is not necessary.

How to Snack Healthfully

Rule #1: The idea meal structure is like this: eat 5-6 times a day, and have your meals no longer than about 2-3 hours apart. That way, you keep your metabolism working on high and can discourage the the storage of fat cells.

Rule #2: Your snacks should be in between your three major meals, and should be relatively small. For example, my snacks consist of a handful of nuts, some vegetables dipped in hummus, or maybe some almond butter toast on whole wheat with some fruit on top.

Rule #3: If you’re absolutely starving, eat more food! I am a huge supporter of intuitive eating, that is eating when you’re hungry, and being able to discern what real hunger is (i.e. not eating in front of the television or just because you’re bored or sad.)

Rule #4: Prepare healthy snacks ahead of time. This will ensure that you have no excuses when you’re hungry, because you already have a ready-to-eat healthy snack at your fingertips!

As I type this, I’m on a roadtrip for the next six hours (yay!). Usually, we stop at unhealthy fast food places, so I’ve planned ahead and cooked some more peanut butter bites, made an almond butter sandwich, brought some mixed nuts, and also had a fruit parfait this morning so I wouldn’t feel tempted to eat junk food on the road.

Clean eating is easy as long as you prepare ahead of time!