Is it true that you need snacks in order to get enough nutrients for your daily body needs? Do you need those little nibbling here and there in between meal times? The demand for snack foods continues to increase as urbanization and lifestyle have changed from staple foods to quick meals or fast foods and take-away type foods. Let's consider the implications of this in terms of your health today.
The idea of snacks as a needed source of additional supplement to enhance adequate nutrients came from studies of children who were not getting adequate nourishing well-balanced meals, or when they are not hungry enough at mealtime to eat the calories they need.
Others advocate snacking as a way of losing weight. So they advice you eat a little every hour or so all day. The reasoning is that you don’t get hungry, so you don’t over eat.
But do these reasons hold up for health benefits?
There is some wisdom in case of malnourished children. However, snacking as a way to lose weight does not hold water. The calories gained from snacks and beverages can add up to more calories than some people would eat all day. Since most snack foods are loaded with calories. Foods like 'puff puff', donuts, French fries, chin chin and other fried foods and beverages like coffee, carbonated drinks-soft drinks, etc.
Drinking these sugar drinks are not the right way to help people drink more fluids as many advocate.
The high sugar content of most carbonated drinks produce 5 undesirable side effects. Let take a brief look at them:
1. Unbalanced nutrition, because they lack nutrient yet high in calories.
2. Excess fat storage. If the soft drink calories are added to the food calories, the excess will be stored as fat.
3. Uneven blood sugar. Sugar calories lack fiber and rapidly enter the bloodstream, raising blood sugar levels and providing a temporary boost of energy. When the blood sugar level goes up, insulin enters the blood stream to pull the raised sugar back down and the energy levels drop. Then the person reaches for another and yet another sugary snack.The cycle seems to never come to an end.
4. Delayed digestion. When sugared drink arrives in a stomach that is processing other food, digestion slows down until the new calories can be handled.
5. Acid rebound. Most beverages, including soft drinks increase acid secretion in the stomach. This increase occurs after the beverage leaves the stomach producing a rebound effect.
Note that most of these beverages also contain preservatives, flavourings and colourings even when the sugar is reduced. Some of these chemicals irritate the stomach linings. Most contain phosphoric acid, a powerful chemical that causes the body to 'eat up' its calcium from the bones in order to get rid of this acid through the kidneys.
Water is the perfect beverage. It has no calories, requires no digestion, does not irritate and is exactly what the body needs to carry on the life processes. Drink enough water till your urine is pale-for most people about 8- 10 glasses.
If you feel tired drink water instead of getting sweet drink or snack.
Thare are people who cannot get through the day with out these “pick-me-up snacks”, the problem is they eat refined, fiber–poor, sugar-rich meals, without enough complex carbohydrates (starches) and fiber. A breakfast of tea and white bread or corn porridge will digest quickly. The sugars push up the blood sugar and provide a temporary high. But it does not hold for long. A breakfast of whole-grain cooked cereal, whole-wheat bread and a couple of whole fruits will furnish plenty of steady energy all morning long. Also a high-complex carbohydrate, high-fiber lunch will do the same for the afternoon. Its better to eat whole fruits, like oranges than to turn it to orange juice. The juice has been defibered.
Are you saying we don’t need snacks?
Snacking is a habit. With regular adequate meals there will be much less need for those snacks. Also people have fewer digestive problems when they eat simple meals mostly high-fiber plant foods and then allow their stomach to rest for a while. Ideally meals should be spaced about four to five hours apart.
Are there some indicators to show if one is having digestive problems?
If you suffer from indigestion, heartburn, irritability, insomnia, mental dullness, gas or weight gain it could be because of between-meals snacking. A pattern of three meals a day with no snacking could solve many of these problems.
If perchance I need a snack, what would you suggest?
Drink a big glass of water. Yes, a big glass of water. It has no calories and requires no digestion, it passes right through, giving everything a good rinse. If you must have more, eat a piece of fresh fruit or a handful of raw vegetables like carrots, cucumber or garden egg.
In Summary(bullet pointS)
Snacking can be hazardous because you more than likely snack on junk foods.
Don’t snack for wrong reasons- don’t use snacking as a way to relieve stress.
Start with the day with a good breakfast, plenty of complex carbohydrates should form the core of your meal.
Watch out for those things that trigger snacking. Not snacking will help you look good and feel better.
