What is life without snacks? Seriously, think about it. Imagine what our days would be if we could not stop occasionally to munch a cookie here, a fruit there. Ah, you are doing one serious work, frowning as if somebody died, then you remember the fruit cake in the fridge, or the potato chips. Suddenly, life seems brighter than it is. Lol.
See, I am a snacker. I won’t even lie, I’m not much of an eater, but when it comes to snacks, I am there. I cannot sit down to work for thirty minutes without putting something inside my mouth. Ah, talk about having work motivation, lol. If you open my food cupboard, you’ll think I have a provision kiosk. There are all kinds of biscuits, chocolates, juice, Capri Sonne, coke, malt, sweets, groundnuts, etc. You may be thinking, “Ah, but is that even healthy?” Thankfully over the years, I have managed to learn how to snack in moderation. Like, I eat whatever I am snacking on small, small so that a small amount will last for the duration of my work.
So, if I like snacks so much, what am I then talking about? After all, it’s not like anyone is doubting how motivating/energizing snacks can be. Which then brings me to my point: sugar o. It’s not a new topic, everybody’s grandmother and nephew know that too much sugar is bad. We also know this when we stuff handfuls of chin-chin into our mouths. As much as we love snacks, let us reason it na. There’s a reason doctors keep warning us about sugar intake, especially artificial sugar intake. Sugar is responsible for weight problems. Even if you are not fighting weight, there are other ways too much sugar can damage our organs. You won’t see it immediately, but as you get older, the signs will be there.
Now you see the dilemma. I love snacks, snacks have sugar, sugar does not love me. #Sigh. I have been thinking about how to manage my snacking “problem.” At first, I tried to go cold turkey and quit, but it didn’t work at all. Then I decided to replace my snacks with fruits and homemade snacks. Instead of biscuits, I slice carrots and apples on my plate. I replaced the juice with iced hibiscus tea and drank it with honey. When I want something crunchy, I get plantain chips or potato chips. I make my own potato chips, and I am on the way to learning how to make plantain chips. Finally, there’s granola, which is oats, and oats are full of fibers. It has not been easy but you sef, you have to agree that I tried. Lol.
The way I am saying it, you’ll think I magically switched to healthier snacks o. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen like that. Sugar is very addictive. There are days I desperately want Oreos and M&Ms, and the taste of my carrot or whatever chips I am eating is just disgusting. It’s been a struggle. So, another thing I started doing was to stop shopping for snacks. Omo, I just cancelled it. If you don’t have it, you cannot eat it, abi?