Reasons behind why we eat snacks
Acommon area of food confusion for many people is how regularly they need to eat. Should we be snacking between meals or not? Is it better to eat two or three meals a day, or five or six smaller meals?
The truth is that different things will work for different people – there is no one set right or wrong way of eating that suits all bodies.
If it’s 4pm in the afternoon and we’re so hungry we could eat our own arm off then it’s not going to be in our best interest to wait until 7pm when we’re home from work and are able to prepare our dinner.
Leaving it this long between meals when we’re ravenous is likely to lead to us polishing off an entire packet of corn chips while we’re cooking dinner (and probably feeling as though we don’t even need a meal any more).
Yet many people get hungry quickly after meals simply because their meals are not satiating enough. If we look back in time, the concept of snacking became the norm (and even necessary) in the low-fat era. Previously ‘‘snacking’’ wasn’t even really a thing and at first it was considered extravagant or excessive.
When we reduce how much fat we eat, we get hungrier more quickly. Biochemically, this is because our body either utilises fat or glucose (colloquially and not quite accurately referred to as ‘‘sugar’’) as a fuel for energy. Fat is a slow burning energy source so it satiates us for longer.
In reducing the amount of fat eaten, the body can get the message that, because fat is currently restricted in our world, it is not safe for us to use it for energy. This in turn tells our body that it is appropriate to utilise more glucose as a fuel source. When you predominantly use glucose as your fuel, your blood levels of glucose go up and down constantly and so your body communicates to you that it needs more energy by sending you hunger signals for more sugary foods.
The tricky thing about this cycle is that if your body is predominantly utilising glucose as your fuel, you’re more likely to reach for things that provide you with quick energy such as sugar, carbohydrate-based products like bread or crackers, and caffeine – which of course only perpetuates the same rise and crash of your blood glucose levels.
Eating more fat will help to balance out your blood glucose levels and keep you satiated for longer. This means you will usually be satisfied with three (or even two) meals per day. You also communicate to your body that is it is safe to use body fat as a fuel because it is available.
So start to notice: How often do you feel hungry? If it’s an hour after your last meal whatever you ate did not serve you.
What are you constantly craving? If it is sweet food, it is either your body communicating to you that you need to top up your body’s glucose levels or you’re trying to meet an emotional need and looking for food to give you sweetness or joy in life.
If you choose nutritious, real-food snacks, do you find you eat less across the day because you aren’t ravenous for main meals? Or does even real-food snacking lead you to eat too much across your day? There is no right or wrong. There is simply what best serves your body, and this will likely change over time – or even from day to day. So simply pay attention to what best serves your health and see unresourceful or out of control snacking as feedback that something needs to change.
Dr Libby is a nutritional biochemist, best-selling author and speaker. The advice contained in this column is not intended to be a substitute for direct, personalised advice from a health professional. See drlibby.com