Let’s be honest for a quick minute: snacking isn’t always the result of hunger. There are a million reasons why we turn to snacks. Stress definitely tops the list, but fatigue and boredom are pretty high on that ranking as well.

After weight loss surgery, your hunger level will be greatly reduced. You may not grow hungry at all between meals, but that doesn’t mean your desire to snack will be gone forever. Your weight loss surgeon can provide you with safe and healthy tips to cope with those snacking impulses. But even before you undergo weight loss surgery you can make major changes to your snacking habits to improve your weight loss progress as you prepare for your bariatric procedure.

Healthy Snacking Strategies that Encourage Weight Loss

Filling your home with healthy ingredients can encourage you to stick to your weight loss plan as you work through your week. Weight loss surgery is incredibly helpful as they take so much of the confusion out of losing weight, but eventually you need to turn back to your recipe collection to come up with ideas for healthy dinners that will satisfy everyone in your household. Planning your meals ahead of time so that you know what to purchase at the grocery store at the beginning of the week is the best strategy for guaranteeing you have what you need to cook healthy. However, there are some ingredients that are such healthy staples that you ought to keep them in your pantry year-round, giving you the option to whip up a healthy meal on the spot.

These healthy staples include basics like whole wheat flour, cornmeal, oatmeal, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta. Outside of the carb aisle, it makes sense to keep produce around as much as possible—and this goes double for the produce that takes a long time to go bad, like regular ad sweet potatoes. If you can manage, keeping fresh produce on hand is the best practice. Keeping frozen bags of fruits and vegetables in your freezer is a great way to ensure you always have produce on hand, though keeping it in your fridge fresh is an even better way to go. Making a habit of keeping these healthy items in your house can help you stay a step ahead of the game as you maintain a healthy home.