Whenever I meet a new patient, one of the first questions I ask in regards to their eating habits is: “Do you snack?”
For some reason, this question always seems to put people on edge. They usually pause, not sure if they should say yes or no. Is it a good thing that they snack? Is that what the nutritionist wants to hear? Or is snacking evil and should they deny that they ever do it?
Well, the good news is that snacking should definitely be part of everyone’s daily eating habits. A snack helps hold you over till your next meal so you are less starved. And the less starved you are at your next meal, the easier it is too control what and how much you eat. For example, if you ate lunch at 1 p.m. and dinner isn’t until 8 p.m., a 4 p.m. snack would be perfect.
Knowing when to snack is one thing, but what to snack on is another story. A snack should be thought of as a mini-meal, less than or equal to 200 calories, consisting of a high fiber carbohydrate, a lean protein, and/or a healthy fat. If you snack on just a carbohydrate—for example, a piece of fruit—you will still be hungry. Protein and/or healthy fat are what help keep you satiated.
