How many snacks should I eat each day?
“Most women need to eat at least every three to four hours to fend off hunger and keep their bodies functioning optimally,” says Keri Gans, a dietitian in New York City. So if you’re eating three meals, that means two snacks—one midmorning and another between lunch and dinner. If you have supper four hours or more before bed, you may want to add a small after-dinner snack.
Why can’t I stop at just one?
There’s a biological reason you go back for seconds (or thirds). “You’re conditioned to polish off all the food that’s in front of you, whether it’s a bag of cookies or a bowl of pasta,” says Bethany Thayer, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University, in State College, found that women who snacked from a big bag of chips consumed 184 more calories than those given an individually sized bag. You can work this phenomenon to your advantage by keeping the healthy bites you should eat more of—fruits, vegetables—in plain view. But if you simply must have the chips, dish out a single serving and put the rest right back in the pantry.
