When you feel starved even though you just ate, you're likely lacking substance in your meal. Not just any substance, but specific foods that keep you full. 

It's always important to have a balanced meal, but it's also important to supplement with healthy snacks. We can't go back and adjust our meals and make them right, but we can learn from the mistakes we made.

Creating Balanced Meals

It's obvious that if we just have an egg for breakfast there's a chance we'll be starved within an hour. The same goes if we just have a side of steamed broccoli for lunch. Given these two scenarios, the obvious issue is that there's not enough food. But, we can also conclude that there are specific food groups missing from these two meals.

Eggs are protein, which can give you fullness but not energy. Broccoli is a non-starchy vegetable, which provides some fiber and some energy, but won't give you fullness.

Planning Healthy Snacks

Basically, we need balance for proper fuel/energy. All this to say, we're human and there will be times when we slip on nutrition at meal-time. However, just because we mess up our meals doesn't mean we have to throw in the towel with snacks.

Pack your snacks with fullness and energy in mind. My ideal snack is a balance of protein and fruits. But, often times a healthy fat can suffice! 

Healthy Snacks with Avocados

One of my favorite fats is avocados. They're tasty and pair well with other meals, plus they're a monounsaturated fat – classifying them as a healthy fat. Maybe the calories are higher with fats, but that just means you don't have to eat as much to reach satiety!

Here are a few of my favorite snacks featuring avocados:

1. ¼ avocado spread over 1 low-carb tortilla (Ole brand has a high fiber/low-carb variety).
   • Make this snack a healthy meal by adding 2 slices of turkey meat and 1 slice of reduced fat cheese to the tortilla. Add a side salad filled with two cups of your favorite vegetables for balance.
2. Spread ¼ avocado over ½ of a whole grain English Muffin (you can toast the muffin if you would prefer).
   • This snack can be also turned into a meal by adding 2 slices of turkey meat and 1 slice of reduced fat cheese.
   • It can also be transformed into a tasty breakfast by adding 1 fried egg cooked in a skillet with canola oil cooking spray. 
3. Chop ¼ avocado into small dices and place in 1 green leafy lettuce along with 2 Tbsp. Pico De Gallo or 2 Tbsp. salsa (based on preference).

Just a reminder, these are my favorite snacks when I am in need of a change, which is common for many people. A protein-based snack is very important for proper fullness, but avocados, along with many unsaturated fats, can be a healthy alternative when variety is desired.

Don’t worry about always having the same old snack — do something different every now and then to build your food bank!