Snacking problems

I don't snack. Who says you need to snack?

I'm a fan of snacks too. I plan for it by bringing healthy snacks to work with me, and always plan my day around a little chocolate.

queenliz99 wrote: »

I don't snack. Who says you need to snack?

This. Don't snack! If you need to put food in your face every couple of hours but want more calories for meals, plan your day and incorporate low cal snacks you think might satisfy you

I like the fat free sugar free cook and serve chocolate pudding. It is really chocolatety and tastes like an indulgence. About 70 calories per half cup when prepared with fat free milk.

I snack every night. However I dont eat past 8pm at night. So food has time to digest before bed. I would buy sweet and salty things and mix it up. If you like chocolate Id suggest mini candy bars. I also eat Pure protein , protein bars. They run 180-200 cals and 1/3 the fat an have 5 g of fat and 3 g of sugar with 16 carbs

Also when it comes to ice cream Id suggest sweet freedom by blue bunny its no sugar added

I wouldnt cut snacks out 100% or you will probably have a few binges that wont be healthy

medeakay wrote:

Snacking helps to keep your metabolism up and regulate your blood sugar.

As far as the metabolism claim, not really. Exercise has much more of an effect.
It does affect blood sugar (& fat), but not in a good way. Having insulin circulating more often than needed
(which is just at meals) is detrimental.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508

Energy needs for your body's basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed.
Your basal metabolic rate accounts for about 70 percent of the calories you burn every day.

In addition to your basal metabolic rate, two other factors determine how many calories your body
burns each day:

Food processing (thermogenesis).
Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts
for 100 to 800 of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body's energy requirement to
process food stays relatively steady and isn't easily changed.

Physical activity.
Physical activity and exercise — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and
any other movement — account for the rest of the calories your body burns up each day. Physical activity
is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many calories you burn each day.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24668862
Includes a link to a free copy of the study / article.

A hypercaloric diet with high meal frequency increased [triglycerides in the liver] and abdominal fat
independent of caloric content and body weight gain, whereas increasing meal size did not. This study
suggests that snacking, a common feature in the Western diet, independently contributes to [fat in the
liver] and obesity.

But almonds appear to be a healthy snack.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24084509



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jwseip wrote:

However I dont eat past 8pm at night. So food has time to digest before bed.

Food takes more than a couple hours to digest, even just to get out of the stomach.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/FAQ-20058340

After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small
intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion, absorption of water and,
finally, elimination of undigested food.

In the 1980s, Mayo Clinic researchers measured digestion time in 21 healthy people. Total transit time,
from eating to elimination in stool, averaged 53 hours ... The average transit time through just the large
intestine (colon) was 40 hours, with significant difference between men and women: 33 hours for men,
47 hours for women.

That's why when you're getting ready for a colonoscopy, you have a full day of liquid, then the nasty 'cleanse'.
Gets rid of most of the solids naturally, so most of what comes out the night before & morning of is liquid.

But you're right that snacking at night is unhealthy.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23174861
Includes link to free full text article / study.

Nighttime snacking increased total and LDL cholesterol and reduced fat oxidation, suggesting that
eating at night changes fat metabolism and increases the risk of obesity.