Snacking: Good or Bad? You Make the Choice

Everyone has their own opinions about snacking. I believe that snacking is healthy when you eat real food, but I also know a lot of people who think it can be harmful and lead to weight gain. Before you make your decision let’s take a look at how snacking can affect your health.

What Is Snacking and Why Do People Snack? Snacking is when you consume food or beverages between your regular meals. The term “snack foods” is often used to refer to processed, high-calorie foods like chips and cookies. Snacking simply means to eat or drink between meals, regardless of whether the food is healthy or not. Hunger is the main motivation behind snacking, but factors like location, social environment, time of day and food availability contribute as well. People often snack when there is appetizing food around, even if they’re not hungry. Bottom Line - The desire to snack and snacking’s effects on health are individualized. Factors that influence snacking include age and beliefs about whether snacking is healthy or not.

Does Snacking Boost your Metabolism? Although it’s been suggested that eating every few hours will increase your metabolism, there is no real evidence to support this claim. Studies have found that meal frequency has no significant effect on how many calories you burn.

The effects of snacking on blood sugar. It isn't necessary to snack to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Eating high-protein or high fiber snacks raises blood sugar levels less than consuming high carb snacks.

Snacking can prevent ravenous hunger. Eating a snack is better than letting yourself become ravenously hungry. This can lead to poor food choices and eating more calories than you need.

Tips for healthy snacking.

How much should you eat: In general it's best to eat snacks that contain about 200 calories and at least 10 grams of protein to help you stay full until your next meal.

Frequency: The number of snacks you need will vary based on your activity level and how big your meals are. If you're very active, you may prefer 2-3 snacks per day, while a sedentary person may do best with one snack or no snacks.

Portability: Keep portable snacks with you when you're running errands or traveling in case hunger strikes.

Snacks to avoid: As always avoid processed, high sugar snacks they may give you a brief jolt of energy, but you'll probably feel hungrier an hour or two later.

Be sure to eat the right type and amount of food in order to reduce hunger and prevent over-eating later on.

Healthy Snacks to Eat: Although there are many package snacks and bars on the market choosing nourishing real food is best. It's also a good idea to include a protein source to your snack. Some snack ideas include cheese, fresh vegetables slices, sunflower seeds, cottage cheese with fruit, and hard-boiled eggs. Choose what you like, just be sure it’s real food.

Choosing healthy snacks that are high in protein and fiber helps reduce hunger and keeps you full for several hours.

So is snacking good or bad? Snacking can be good in some cases, such as for preventing hunger in people who tend to overeat when going too long without food. But in the end it's really a personal choice. If you're going to snack make sure to choose healthy foods that keep you full and satisfied