We have all experienced it—getting overly hungry or “hangry” is no fun, not just for you but for those around you too!  Nutritionally, getting overly hungry stressed your body and your blood sugar, putting strain on your adrenal glands.  My best advice? Make sure you are eating nutrient dense meals throughout the day and avoid going too long with out food!

Here are a few tips to help you avoid getting “hangry”:

• Make sure to eat plenty of healthy fats with each meal—fats are a slow burning source of fuel and will keep you satisfied for longer.  If you are hungry an hour after a meal, chances are you didn’t eat enough fats.  So load up on the grass-fed butter, olive oil, avocados and nuts or seeds!
• Stick to a routine—the body craves a schedule and it is up to you to give your brain and body that schedule.  When you eat at certain times and don’t wait too long before your next meal, your body adapts to that predictability.  
• Avoid the blood sugar roller coaster—a diet rich in processed carbohydrates spikes your blood sugar and causes you to have many ups and downs throughout the day (both in energy and in mood).  This blood sugar drama is what causes you to get “hangry.”  Focused on a balanced meal of moderate amounts of nutrient dense carbohydrates and lots of quality fats and proteins.

5 real food snacks to help you avoid getting hangry:

• Nuts: Nuts are rich in healthy fats and proteins that will keep you satisfied.  All you need is a handful!  Look for nuts that are raw or lightly roasted, or buy them raw and toast them on your own. Avoid nuts that are roasted in hydrogenated oils or coated in sugar. I typically purchase my nuts from nuts.com and they have great bulk discounts as well—you can easily make your own trail mix by adding your favorite nuts to a plastic bag or small jar.
• Thunderbird Bars: I recently learned about these snack bars and LOVE them.  It is hard to find bars that taste good but also don’t have alot of sugar or bad carbohydrates. Hazelnut Coffee Maca & Hemp Sunflower Pumpkin Seed are my favorite flavors and very low in added sugars.
• Coconut butter: My favorite is Jiva Coconut Butter, Nikkis Cake Batter or these on-the-go packets.
• Guacamole: serve with Siete grain free tortilla chips, vegetable slices, parmesan cheese slices (yes they make great dippers) or enjoy by the spoonful with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
• Yogurt and granola:  Whole milk plain yogurt with granola is the perfect snack full of good fats, protein and carbohydrates, as long as you don’t reach for a sugary granola or sugary packed yogurt (always double check the ingredients).  I love my homemade oat & nut, low-glycemic granola or my go to is Lark Ellen Granola (trust me you will thank me once you taste this magic).