Making changes in your eating habits that optimize you’re your fitness and health goals is about making small changes over the course of time. And, although the Rejuvenation Lifestyle isn’t doesn’t require a complete overhaul of how you eat, I know many of you are accustomed to eating diets very high in carbs and relatively low in protein. So, when you implement this change you may feel hungry even though dinner is hours away.

Snacking is a HUGE problem, mostly because we decide to snack after catching a glimpse of the candy bar in the vending machine, or seeing rice cakes in the kitchen. Here are some tips to keep you from snagging the nearest Ho-Ho or bag of chips throughout the day.

1.) Drink More Water - When you feel hungry, 80% of the time it is simply your body telling you to drink more fluids. Fill a cup of water or water bottle and keep it handy.

2.) Quick Exercise - If you get an urge to eat do a quick set of bodyweight exercises or a quick 5 minute walk around the block.

3.) Chew a piece of gum - Often hunger is an emotional trigger and chewing on gum or a mint can refocus our mind and help break the conditioning.

If you do break down and can’t resist snacking, make sure you pick up a healthy snack that will provide nutrients your body needs, like carrots or nuts. Other than cashews all nuts are rated zero on the glycemic, and cashews are rated very low at 22. Nuts also have the right kinds of fat which will help you feel full, and the right amounts of protein. Just a small amount of nuts almonds can whip out your snacking urge or sweet craving in minutes.

Stay away from higher carb snacks like tortilla chips, doughnuts, cookies, and rice cakes. These will not only spike blood sugar and insulin causing you to store more fat, but they do not have the hunger satisfying properties you need to ward off feeling hungry before your next meal, and often increase it.