Snacking the right way | Bangkok Post: food

WELLNESS

When it comes to identifying the causes of weight gain and obesity, snacking is always a prime suspect. For many people, snacking is a source of excess calories, fat and cholesterol that helps pack on the pounds while increasing the risk of long-term health problems.

Like most things, there are both healthy and unhealthy ways to snack between meals. Snacks of healthy foods offer potential benefits, including a boost to metabolism that makes it easier to keep one's weight under control, and increased levels of energy that come when our bodies are kept properly fuelled throughout the day. The key to healthy snacking is knowing the difference between what constitutes a good snack, and what doesn't.

GRAZING

The grazing concept helps illustrate an important rule of snacking and weight control. Based on how cows consume small amounts of grass numerous times a day, it's much easier to maintain a healthy body weight by boosting metabolism with more frequent food servings in smaller portions.

To prevent over-eating and still reap the metabolism-boosting benefits of grazing, snacks should be included in an overall nutrition plan. If you snack between meals, reduce the size of meal portions in your plan. That way, you keep the fire of your metabolism stoked at all times and you won't feel stuffed or uncomfortable.

The body has tremendous survival instincts. If you don't eat regularly enough, your body concludes it is being starved and quickly shifts into survival mode. It slows its rate of metabolism in order to conserve any remaining fuel. This actually works against weight loss, because the defence mechanism helps the body hold on to stored fat much longer than normal.

That's why we've long been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The body slow its metabolism while we sleep. Breakfast is the day's first opportunity to kick-start one's metabolism back to the level needed for a full day of being physically, mentally and emotionally productive.

CHOOSE WELL

Dieters looking to lose a bit of excess weight should get in the habit of eating small but frequent energy-boosting snacks to stay fuelled while limiting their risk of overeating. The right snack should provide protein, fibre and essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6. Wholegrain foods, fruit and vegetables with low sugar contents make excellent choices, as do small portions of nuts like walnuts, pine nuts and almonds _ preferably unsalted, baked or raw nuts without seasoning. Cheese in small portions is also a healthy snack. Steer clear of creamy, high-fat cheeses in favour of something lighter such as cottage cheese.

With so many healthy snack options available, keep things interesting with variety. Experiment with different combinations of nuts, low-sugar fruits such as apples, pears or papaya, fish including salmon and tuna, plain yoghurt, high-fibre crackers, hard-boiled eggs, low-fat milk and soya protein.

FREQUENCY

Snacking twice a day in between three smaller meals works best for most people. However, if you do heavy exercise frequently at a high intensity, you may wish to snack more frequently and include both carbohydrates and protein _ a thin layer of peanut butter spread on oat crackers, for example. Limit the amount you eat before working out, and let healthy snacking replenish your post-workout fuel supply.

There will always be days when we take a detour from our diet plan. And we may sometimes find it a challenge to locate a healthy snack right when we need it. Options like energy bars might seem like an ideal alternative to our regular healthy snack. But many of them are actually packed with refined sugar and turn out to be as healthy as a chocolate bar.

LAST RESORTS

If you can't locate a good snack, even a cup of black coffee _ no added cream or sugar _ can help kick-start your metabolism without filling you up on the type of empty calories found in fast food and snack bars.

Controlling your weight doesn't require that you go hungry. With a bit of planning, you can eat more smartly by choosing small, wholesome snacks that will keep your metabolism fuelled and burning calories all day long.

Viren Malhotra (MD, MPH, ABAAM) is based at the Vitallife Wellness Centre, Bumrungrad International.