Two habits move the needle more than any single "good food" — how much water you drink, and how big your portions are. Neither needs a special product or a strict list, just a bit of attention for a week or two until it's automatic.
Water before the snack, not instead of it
Thirst gets read as hunger more often than people expect. A glass of water before reaching for a snack sorts out which one it actually is — sometimes the craving passes, sometimes it doesn't, and either way you're better hydrated either way. Keep a bottle somewhere visible; the habit sticks faster when the water is easier to grab than the snack.
Portion by the container, not the plate
Eating straight from a family-size bag is the easiest way to lose track of how much went in. Split dates, nuts or dried fruit into small containers or bags when you get home from the shop, so a "portion" is grab-and-done rather than a guess. The same trick works for any food you tend to overeat straight from the pack.
Sweet cravings, sorted honestly
If the 4pm craving is for something sweet, a few dates satisfy it directly instead of being a "healthier" stand-in for something else. They're sweet on their own terms — no added sugar to check for — and a small pre-portioned bag means you're not deciding how many to eat while already eating them.
Buying enough to not run out
Running low on the good options is when the bad ones win by default. If dates are your go-to, buying a proper bag rather than a small one means you're not back at the shop mid-week reaching for whatever's on the shelf. Kept sealed, they last for months, so there's no rush to finish them.
Track it for a week, then stop tracking
Write down portions and water for a week if it helps you see the pattern, then drop the tracking once the habit holds. The goal is a routine you don't have to think about, not a permanent log.