HEALTH

Image: Coveteur 

"I always try to eat healthy. I always eat a healthy lunch and breakfast but as soon as I finish school for the day—I eat everything that's unhealthy and I eat too much of it! How do I stop myself from eating so much when I come home from school?" 

First of all, I think we can *all* say that we have been there, done that! For some reason, after-school snacks just hit different and it can be tough to stay healthy after a long day of classes and note-taking...and facing a long night of homework.

If you want to stay on track with your health goals but are in an extra-snacky mood, one pro tip is to have premade portions of your fave eats ready before you get home. Keep washed fruit and chopped veggies in your fridge for a super easy snack, and fill up on those first before heading to the treats! If you have time the night before school or in the morning, you can portion out standard serving sizes of watermelon, grapes, berries, broccoli, carrots, almonds, trail mix or whatever your healthy food of choice is and store them in grab-and-go containers to make sure you are eating the correct portion sizes. Other *super* easy ways to turn healthy foods into perf snacks are to whip up some berries with milk and ice into a smoothie, or blend together frozen bananas and freeze them during the day so that you have amazing banana "nice cream" ready for you in the afternoon. You can also pair your snack with a big class of water to rehydrate after spending the day at school. 

Read: A guide to intuitive eating during quarantine

These tips will help you nourish your body on the good stuff first, and give you the energy and focus to tackle busy nights of studying that you may have ahead of you. In addition, eatright.org recommends turning off your screens before diving into your snacks—if you are scrolling through TikTok or watching Netflix right when you finish school, you are actually more likely to overeat without realizing it! Overall, paying attention to what kinds of foods you are putting in your body is key to snacking responsibly (Bonus: focusing on whole foods rather than processed snacks will keep you fuller for longer, so you won't feel the need to eat as much so quickly). 

Just remember to listen to your body and don't be afraid to treat yourself every now and again—if you have been craving ice cream all day, scoop some out and enjoy it! Keeping a well-balanced diet with special treats included can help your overall lifestyle be both happy *and* healthy. 

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

by Lexi Casazza | 9/17/2020