Snacking throughout the day has been promoted as a way to combat surges in hunger. Keeping hunger pangs at bay can keep us from binge eating at meals- famished from waiting for the meal. In those moments of hunger, many will make food choices that can counteract the efforts put into healthy eating. Larger portions, rich savory foods, extra servings, desserts. We’ve all done it. This isn’t to say that grazing, snacking through the day, is a bad choice. I’ve shared in a post about the G.R.A.D.E. diet how it can also help maintain blood sugar levels. It’s largely dependent on the choices that are made in those moments. When snacks are selected wisely and you maintain an awareness of portions through everything you consume, it can benefit you and keep you from experiencing energy dips. However, new study shows that most Americans consume the equivalent of a meal’s worth of calories while snacking, and the nutritional intake isn’t ideal.
The study, published in PLOS Global Public Health, analyzed data of over 23,000 participants aged 30 years or older who participated between 2005-2016 in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (you can read more about it, here). The data showed that on average, Americans consumed about 400 to 500 calories in snacks daily.
Senior researcher Christopher Taylor, a professor of medical dietetics with Ohio State University’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences said that the snacks provided very little nutritional value. “Snacks are contributing a meal’s worth of intake to what we eat without it actually being a meal,” Taylor noted in a university news release. He continued, “You know what dinner is going to be: a protein, a side dish or two. But if you eat a meal of what you eat for snacks, it becomes a completely different scenario of, generally, carbohydrates, sugars, not much protein, not much fruit, not a vegetable. So it’s not a fully well-rounded meal.” For the most part, snacks consisted of foods high in carbs and fats, sweets, alcoholic beverages and sugar-sweetened drinks. People chose snacks with protein, dairy, fruits, vegetables, or grains least often.
The data also revealed that the efforts of medical providers to educate patients on a healthy diabetes lifestyle is helping. People with type 2 diabetes tended to eat fewer sugary foods and snacked less overall than either those without diabetes or with prediabetes. The good news is that as dietary education increases among the population, there’s great potential that these snacking habits can shift for the majority of people, not just those who have had to face lifestyle shifts due to health concerns. The goal is to address eating patterns before it is a reaction to the onset of pre-diabetes, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc.
What can be done today? Try these simple tips to prepare for this week’s snacks:
- Plan ahead: If you know your schedule for the week, make a list of when you’ll likely need to take a snacking along with you. It may be the morning commute, between appointments, or for the afternoon lull. It’s no different than laying out your clothes ahead of time, gassing up the car, or setting an alarm to wake up.
- Choose your snacks: Pinterest or our previous posts on healthy snacks (some are posted below for reference) are a great place to start. Choose a protein like cubed cheese, a yogurt (check for the sugar content, or better yet- choose a sugar free option like this one), nuts, or fruits that pack easily like bananas, grapes, apples.
- Pre-pack: For foods that take a little more prep, like sliced vegetables, take a few minutes the evening before (or at the beginning of the week), to slice and pack them into portions. Store them in air-tight (reusable) bags or bento boxes. There is no shortage of storage options these days- choose one that works best for you!
- Be ready: Planning doesn’t always mean the day will go as planned. The day may extend longer than normal, you may still be hungry after your snack. Maybe you forgot your snack at home. It happens. Keep a stash of nuts or trail mix at the office. If you have access to a refrigerator at work, stash some frozen edamame (can be thawed in running water or a microwave), or bring along frozen, homemade protein bars that you can enjoy when needed. If you end up heading to the store or restaurant, select wisely- avoid processed foods and reach for fruits, vegetables, low sodium nut butters, protein, lean meats.
The snack choices we make can impact our health and our waistlines. Don’t avoid snacking- if you’re hungry, your body is asking for fuel. But, choose wisely. Check out the posts below for some snacking ideas.
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-https://www.healthday.com/health-news/nutrition/youre-probably-eating-a-meals-worth-of-snacks-each-day
-https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm