There are no healthy snacks. OK, now that I got that off my chest let’s dive in further!
Brief flashback
As many a baby boomer will attest growing up, we were told “don’t eat that snack it will ruin your dinner.” Thus, snacking was seen as an inhibitor of proper mealtime nutrition. Fast forward to today and everywhere you look people are constantly consuming snacks all day, every day.
What is a snack?
Some sources even go so far as to name it a “a light meal between meals.” In the famous words of any teenager OMG. Meals between meals. This is simply crazy if you think about it.
How did snacking go from scorn to ubiquitous?
Abigail Carroll has an interesting essay on “How Snacking Became Respectable” which highlights the history and commercialization of snacking. (Quote below) Ending of course with this question, is it healthy is another question!
“So how did snack food change from a dubious indulgence to a respectable, even standard feature of American life? In one word, commercialization. As the food industry began mass-producing snack foods, snack foods shed their negative associations and consumers dropped their suspicions.”
Many of us working in the Low-Carb (LCHF/Keto) community believe another reason is that individuals are not getting enough real food at mealtimes. What you say? Aren’t we eating too many calories? Well, maybe it’s not a question of calories but that the foods consumed at meals don’t provide adequate nutrition thus you are hungry and feel the need to snack.
For a deeper dive on A Calorie is Not A Calorie required reading is Good Calories Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes. Two excellent books and meticulously resourced explorations of the “energy theory.” If wanting a short video clip version instead see here.
Why are people hungry between meals?
When your blood sugar rises from constant sugar and carbohydrate consumption your insulin must come to the rescue to assist, either distribute that blood sugar or store it as fat. However, the blood sugar must eventually come down (if working properly and not insulin resistance) and this is the point when hunger reappears.
For many individuals they are on a constant feeding rollercoaster, like the hamster on the wheel. Carbohydrates and sugar have a much higher spike on blood sugar as compared to protein and fat. And this higher spike and quicker plunge is what is hunger inducing but moreover negatively impacting metabolic health.
Protein and fat on the other hand have a much more nuanced effect on blood sugar and the impact is thus more gradual. Think of it like carbs/sugar a mountain peak, protein a small hill and fat a long almost flat sloping arc.
Dr. Robert Cywes, a bariatric surgeon states that constant carbohydrate consumption is akin to drinking alcohol and that your body does not have a proper feedback loop to say when to stop. Highly recommend checking out his videos as the Carb Addiction Doc on YouTube, one here.
How to flip the switch away from snacking?
- Focus on real food for meals
- Prioritize protein at every meal
- Fat fortify meals for longer satiety
- Intermittent fasting supports less snacking
In my health coaching practice, I work with a variety of individuals, from the young to mature, healthy to dealing with chronic conditions, all of whom are trying hard to either regain or improve health markers. A common issue amongst the wide spectrum of individuals is a majority consume too little daily protein.
For some reason, particularly the ladies, have been ingrained to avoid proteins, most often being hesitant about animal meats. See my post on Why I Eat Meat, my health journey after 20 years as a vegetarian. It’s crucial in my opinion to get nourishing protein across the age spectrum. Adults, especially over 50, are less efficient at processing protein and getting adequate is positively supported by having some at each meal.
Dr. Bret Sher, cardiologist and Adele Hite, PhD, RD have an excellent podcast on Diet Doctor here on Protein: The most important nutrient for health. There is growing evidence to show that a majority of adults over age 50 (I suspect many younger as well) are sub-optimal in protein intake. In this study of over 11,000 adults by NHANES where low protein intake was also associated with decreased physical capabilities. (Quotes from the study below)
“Dietary protein intakes were significantly lower in older age groups, with up to 46% of the oldest adults not meeting the protein intake recommendation.”
“Those below the protein recommendation had significantly more functional limitations across all age groups, while grip strength was significantly lower in those over 70 years old.”
How does fasting help curb snacking?
As a health coach I see fasting supportive in lowering the need/habit to snack in three main ways. Additionally if incorporating a LCHF/Keto lifestyle this is easy to do because you are not on the previously mentioned carbohydrate/sugar roller coaster.
- It encourages you to pay attention to daily meal protein and fat intake
- Mentally demonstrates that you CAN take time off from snacking
- Gives you control over your food choices
At the end of the day when you are controlled by your food it can set you up for many highs and lows. If you make it simple and try to get your nourishment from solid meals consisting of REAL FOOD, you are then in the control seat.
Snacks are a very slippery slope, one never has just that one bite, that one slice of cake and or just one salsa chip. It will be one another and another………
Final Note
Plan Your Meals = Guide Your Health
