While there’s nothing wrong with snacking (on (salt & vinegar!) chips), there’s a common pattern that can be seen in people who crash after school or work and can’t get their hands on anything to eat fast enough:

not eating enough during the day.

Let me re-frame this. If you’re like most people, you’re doing most of your daily activities during the day (work, school, exercise, run errands, take care of kids, etc.). This means that you need gas in the tank to do all that stuff to still have some reserves left afterwards.

However, the most common pattern I see in my practice and in my personal life is that people don’t eat breakfast, run on a coffee and one piece of toast, or a cup of tea and muffin.

Then, lunch might be “light” like a soup or a salad, or it might be more robust (which is great). 

After all of that + all the things that were done that day, people are upset that they don’t have “will power” or “discipline”. But the thing is: your body still needs the fuel, so it simply gives you signals that you might hear more clearly since you’re not running around anymore.

It’s not will power. It’s a lack of fuel.

So, what’s one to do?

Eat more when you’re most active i.e. at breakfast and lunch. This way you’ll be more satiated, you’ll have stabler blood sugar levels, your mood might improve, your headaches might go away, and you’ll probably not feel ravenous when you’re done your day.

My major tip is to have breakfast: Aim to have 10-30g protein + carbs including fibre (through whole-grain carbs + fruits/veggies) + a bit of healthy fats.