Hunger or craving?
Hunger builds gradually, is eased by almost any food and comes with physical signs (a rumbling stomach, a dip in energy). A craving arrives suddenly, targets a specific food, often sweet or fatty, and follows an emotion or a situation: boredom, stress, tiredness, a screen. Knowing which one drives your snacking already tells you what to do.
1. Eat enough at mealtimes
A lot of snacking comes from meals that are too light. A skipped breakfast or a lunch reduced to a salad is paid for later in the day. Complete meals, with protein, vegetables and starchy foods, keep you going for longer.
2. Plan a proper snack
If hunger always strikes around 4 or 5 pm, plan for it: a piece of fruit and a yoghurt, or a slice of wholemeal bread with a little cheese. One chosen snack is better than three unplanned ones, and stops you sitting down to dinner starving.
3. Rely on protein and fibre
These are the most filling nutrients. A meal with enough of them keeps hunger away for hours. To find out how much protein you need, use our protein calculator.
4. Keep temptations out of reach
What is visible and within reach gets eaten. Put biscuits out of sight, do not keep an open packet on your desk, and do your shopping after a meal.
5. Serve yourself a portion
Eating straight from the packet makes it impossible to know how much you have had. Put a portion in a bowl and put the packet away before you sit down.
6. Break the link with screens
In front of a screen we eat faster and more, often without being hungry. If evening snacking has become a habit, replace it with a hot drink, or have your dessert at the table before you settle down.
7. Have an answer ready for cravings
When a craving comes from boredom or stress, food does not solve the problem. A short walk, a glass of water, a call to a friend or ten minutes of another activity is often enough for it to pass. If it persists, eat what you fancy, in a small amount, sitting down, and take time to enjoy it.
8. Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep increases hunger and the appeal of fatty, sugary foods. Going to bed a little earlier is sometimes the most effective anti-snacking strategy of all.
What if snacking feels out of control?
If you often eat large amounts in a short time with a sense of losing control, or if food has become a source of anxiety, this is no longer snacking: talk to your doctor, who can point you to the right support. A weight-loss programme is not the right first step.
In the cure BalenZ programme, the number of meals a day (with or without an afternoon snack) is set to suit your habits, and your menus are built with the foods you like: that is what makes meals satisfying enough to limit the extras. See How it works and our guide to the calorie deficit.