Staying Slim by Snacking Between Meals
Conventional wisdom has it that snacking causes weight gain. This isn't necessarily true
If you were told that it isn’t healthy to eat between meals, then that’s what you were told. But some 75 percent of the population eats at least one snack a day, and snacks can be nutritious and beneficial, just as they can be damaging and fattening. It’s all a matter of how much and what you eat.
Whether your motivation is to snack, to binge, or to quell a feeling of hunger, a snack can be useful if it is small, planned out, and nutritious, and if you exercise portion control. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right snack.
Snacks have several benefits:
• They reduce hunger before the main meal.
• They lead to more moderate eating at the main meal. Without snacks the main meal will be larger, overloading the digestive system and causing a distressing feeling of excessive fullness as well as fatigue. A snack makes it unnecessary to store food from one meal to the next, since you eat more often. This encourages metabolic activity and increases the number of calories burned.
• They help maintain normal stable blood sugar levels.
Most fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach, which facilitates digestion and maximizes absorption of vitamins and minerals. A snack is an excellent opportunity to combine a variety of fruits and to enjoy their benefits.
Light and convenient
The main claim by opponents of snacking - that snacks lead to weight gain and are liable to interfere with a healthy appetite - is not unfounded. To avoid gaining weight, make sure your snacks are controlled and planned, that they provide maximum benefit (filling, satisfying, and not fattening), and that they meet the following requirements, listed in order of importance:
• That it meet your needs. It’s important to recognize the reason you want a snack in order to determine how much to eat. Is it true hunger (carbohydrates and protein), a need for something sweet, munching (carbohydrates), or eating for social reasons? For example, it is hard to limit the size of a meal that is not meant to satisfy physical hunger since the meal will not end when you are sated.
• That it be low in saturated fats. Since we should limit our intake of saturated fats (to 7-10% of our daily food intake) and our main meals inevitably have saturated fat, it’s preferable to limit saturated fat consumption in snacks. Snacks with a long shelf life, which makes them more available, have a high percentage of fat and small volume (they are very dense), which leads to overeating.
• That it be low in processed sugar (have a low glycemic index). Snacks with processed sugar are not nutritious, cause extreme fluctuations in blood sugar level, increase appetite and the need for sweets, and can cause weight gain. The lower the glycemic index, the more satisfying the meal, and usually the higher quality it is.
• That it be convenient. Since snacks are not formal meals, they don’t always take place at a table, and do not always have a formal end. That’s why it’s best to have snacks that can be packaged or that are available on the road.
Not an easy choice
Snacks are important and should be formally included in a healthy way of eating, the goal being to make them as nutritious as possible. However, there are situations in which we have to choose less nutritious snacks because they are available and convenient, or because of emotional needs or social constraints.
This is definitely a good excuse to open a bar of chocolate, but not sufficient reason to eat the whole package. Be prepared for potential pitfalls.
Remember that when you are not eating because you are hungry, a feeling of satiety will not tell you when it’s time to stop eating. Also, without getting into reasons and constraints, an inherent part of choosing a snack is the taste, which doesn’t always correlate with quality, and the choice is not easy. But I leave this up to you.
To help you reach your healthy lifestyle goals please feel free to use the following discount code/coupon when ordering and we will give you an instant 10% off of your next order. Please enter the following code when ordering: STEVIVA10. Go to http://www.steviva.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.pl and enter discount code STEVIVA10 when checking out.
Have an excellent day.
Thom King
President
thom.king@steviva.com
Steviva Brands, Inc.
YOUR RECIPE
No Added Sugar Thousand Island Dressing Recipe
Serves: 12
Carbs Per Serving: 12.5 g
Prep Time:<15 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Ingredients:
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tbsp. pickle relish sweet or dill (but, look out for added sugar)
4 tbs. chili sauce or ketchup try to use sugar free if you can
4 tbsp. chopped green bell peppers
4 tbsp. onion (chopped)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp Fructevia, Steviva Brand Stevia Blend or a very very tiny dash of Steviva Brand Stevia Powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 hard cooked egg, chopped.
Directions:
Combine all in a small bowl (I use the blender) add egg last. Chill for 2 hours and put on salad.
Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Total Calories: 1125
Calories Per Serving: 93.75
Total Fat: 126.2g
Saturated Fat: 39.8g
Cholesterol: 396mg
Sodium: 328mg
Total Carbohydrates: 152g
Carbohydrates Per Serving: 12.6g
Dietary Fiber: 11.3
Sugars: 57g
Protein: 54g
Try All Natural Fructevia, Steviva Brand Stevia Blend and Steviva Brand Stevia Powder