Health and Wellbeing: To snack, or not to snack, that is the question...

To snack, or not to snack? It is a very tricky question.

In my opinion the answer is: IT DEPENDS ON YOUR BIO-INDIVIDUALITY.

But let’s go to the science which, surprisingly, does support both options: snacking and not snacking.

The science pro snacking is based on the following benefits(source: harvard.edu)

- Provides a boost of energy if several hours pass between meals and blood glucose levels drop.
- Helps curb your appetite to prevent overeating at the next meal.
- Provides extra nutrients when choosing certain snacks like fresh fruit or nuts.
- Can help maintain adequate nutrition if someone has a poor appetite and cannot eat full meals due to illness.

The concerns about snacking are real as well and they bring to our attention the following dangers:

- Snacking on less-nutritious foods can contribute to weight gain.
- You might actually not be hungry and it is just a mindless habit.
- Snacking late can create a sugar spike in your blood and increase the risk for diabetes.

The reason I think both sides are right is because you can’t make a statement unless you know each individual.
Professor of genetics, Tim Spector from King’s College London conducted a study recently, which seats at the base of his book “Identically different”.

The study shows how identical twins are having a different response to the same food based on their bio-individualities. This makes so much sense when it comes to snacking as well. For someone who is looking to maintain or to loose weight and to control the sugar spikes in their blood, definitely the snacking is not the way to go.

On the other hand, for someone who is looking to improve an athletic performance and gain muscle mass or gain weight, healthy snacking is the ideal way to go.

Let’s look at a few reasons why we are snacking. The list is randomly ordered as there is no evidence that one reason is bigger or stronger than another.

1. Mass media and social media influence. We are exposed daily to loads of ads about having a snack, grabbing a can of soda, grabbing a chocolate, indulging in a bag of crisps, because they are tasty. The food industry and the food producers know exactly what soft spot to touch when it comes to our human being nature. At the end of the day, we are all humans looking for happiness and pleasure. Take it with a pinch of salt.

2. Lack of sleep or good quality sleep and your brain is looking to replace certain hormones that are missing due to lack of sleep. A simple act of self-observation will make this very obvious for yourself. After a night with no sleep or a bad quality sleep your body faces an increased level of cortisol, the stress hormone and it is looking to balance this with sugar.

3. We are bored or we are procrastinating. This is probably the most hidden and non obvious reason. A check in with yourself in moments of self-introspection would be a quick fix: Am I hungry or am I bored? Am I hungry or I am running from a task?

4. We don’t have enough nutrients packed in our meals. Keeping a journal of what you eat and drink in the day and getting to know your body is a great start. Also, working with a nutrition health coach or nutritionist that can provide you with a personalised meal plan and the support for implementing it, is a great solution towards reaching your health goals.

What are a few healthy snacks to go for if you are embracing snacking?
- fibre reach fresh vegetables and hummus.
- fibre reach fresh fruits and nut butter.
- whole grain crackers and nut butter or hummus.
- natural yoghurt and berries.
- nuts like almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts.

Keep in your mind that you are a BIO-INDIVIDUAL human being, and your needs are very particular. Connecting to your inner self and listening to your body is the way to go in the long term but this is a process that takes time and practice.

But every journey starts with the first step. And you are not in this on your own. If you need guidance, click here.