Is Snacking a Detriment to Your Health?: Perspectives from Coach Jane
Are you aware of your own snacking patterns? What effect does constant grazing have on our mind, body, and overall health? Through the years, the widely accepted dieting guidance has been to eat every 2-3 hours to stave off hunger and keep your metabolism going. Snacks were the norm. Current data, however, is pointing us in a different direction.
Consider experimenting with changing your meal and snack eating pattern. By reducing the number of times you eat in a day, you may discover a gift to yourself not only in terms of improved health but also in terms of the convenience of saving time and money.
Definition of “snack” = any food and carb-containing beverages (healthy or not) consumed between meals. This would include popping a piece of candy, nuts, fruit or sipping on a sweetened beverage between meals indiscriminately through the day or night.
Client Jack
Client Jack was in the process of transitioning to a lower-carb eating style over the past few months and was meeting his goal of steadily losing an average of 1 pound per week. However, he commented that he felt like he was in a rut with his diet.
- Client Jack
“I eat the same 3-4 snack foods over and over again every day. I need something different.”
At first glance, Jack’s solution to his “problem” might be to find some creative, new snack ideas. But digging deeper, Jack’s comments beg questions like: Why is Jack snacking? and Does Jack really need snacks?
Pause and observe: Why am I snacking?
We can gain insight into our behavior by observing the “why” behind our snacking. For Jack, snacking was a carry-over habit from the days when he was grazing on high carb, processed food that he relied on as a pick-me-up to make it through the day, and also to quench his seemingly ever-present hunger. With the availability of low cost, good tasting, convenient foods that fit within people’s lifestyle (often at the expense of good health), Jack never questioned his snacking habits. Awareness is the first step to changing behavior.
Snacks can block the fat-burning system
In the fed state when we are eating every 2-3 hours or more often, the presence of sugar in our blood triggers the release of insulin. Insulin is a fat storage hormone that prevents the release of body fat for energy. In essence, frequent consumption of snacks (particularly carbohydrate snacks) relies on the sugar-burning system while blocking the fat-burning system. When your body is continually using the sugar-burning system, you may put yourself at risk of developing insulin-resistance and metabolic syndrome.
HELPcare Tenet #6: “Limit when you eat”
At HELPcare, Dr. Dave, Lee and staff provide health education based on a distillation of knowledge and experience. Tenet #6 in the Health, Energy, and Longevity Plan is “Limit When You Eat." Changing the time period in which we eat can be just as important as the quality of the food we eat. When we break up our meals with periods of fasting, our body is able to switch over from the sugar-burning system to the fat-burning system. Additionally, allowing periods of not eating lets our body go into a maintenance mode where it can do cell repair. According to Dr. Jason Fung (a Toronto-based nephrologist and a world-leading expert in intermittent fasting and low-carb diets), reducing the number of times we eat throughout the day can decrease our likelihood of developing cancer and keep us healthier, especially when it comes to reversing/preventing metabolic diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Shift in perspective
If you recognize some version of Jack’s scenario of habitual snacking, perhaps you may want to consider a shift towards less snacking. Ask yourself - Is it possible that I could be better off without snacks? The best way to determine the answer for yourself is to do an experiment.
Start small with a mini experiment
It’s wise to start small and have a realistic plan for any changes you might wish to make in your meal and snack distribution. A first step might be to intentionally skip the snacking in the evening after dinner. This will lengthen the period of time for overnight fasting which then helps put your body into fat-burning and repair mode until your first meal the next day. Research indicates that a 12 hour overnight fast can boost brain health and help delay/prevent dementia and Alzheimers. It’s like the “street cleaner” coming in and cleaning up the brain overnight, something it can’t do as well with food in your system. Dr. Jason Fung has used the power of an overnight fast to help people lose weight, lower their blood glucose levels, reduce/eliminate their need for medication, and improve overall health.
Another idea is to practice mini-intermittent fasting sessions during the day between meals. This gives your body an opportunity to switch from a sugar-burning system to fat burning system. As you become fat-adapted through a low-carb diet and time-restricted eating, you will find that it becomes easier to go for longer periods of time without snacking.
Note: people with type 2 diabetes on an insulin regimen who reduce their snacks may notice a marked improvement in blood sugar and should consult their health care provider for medication adjustments.
Conclusion
Frequent snacking keeps insulin levels elevated, which promotes fat storage. Given the benefits to our mind and body when we are not eating, it’s worth an experiment to eat fewer snacks. Consider a small step experiment by eliminating evening snacking, which in turn will lengthen your overnight fast. Or try mini-intermittent fasting between meals. It doesn’t need to be a deprivation exercise, but rather a gift you give yourself to see how your body responds. In addition to the potential benefits for your mind, body, and overall health, omitting snacks costs less and takes less time. Now that’s convenient!
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