Why You Should Get Smart about Snacking
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It’s a common misconception that eating more than three times a day – in between breakfast, lunch and dinner – is not a good idea because you’ll end up gaining weight. Snacking several times within the day can actually provide a number of benefits, including more appetite control, an improved mood, better productivity, and healthier cholesterol levels.
A study which appeared in the British Medical Journal showed that middle-aged and older adults who ate frequently throughout the day had lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels – despite having a higher calorie and fat intake – compared with those who usually had one or two large meals per day.
The researchers found that the participants’ total cholesterol counts declined as they ate more frequently, with those who ate at least five or six times a day having the lowest total cholesterol, on average. On the other hand, those who ate only once or twice a day had the highest measurements. The pattern was the same for LDL cholesterol.
While frequent eating did not raise HDL or “good” cholesterol levels, those who ate more often were thinner, more physically active, smoked lesser and drank lesser alcohol.
The study’s findings are biologically sound. Animal studies show that those eating infrequent large meals have metabolism patterns different from those that feed more often. These metabolic patterns include a higher absorption of sugar in the intestines, higher after-meal peaks of insulin, and greater activity in enzymes that synthesize cholesterol.
But this doesn’t mean that you can snack on anything you want, especially not junk food. There are a lot of reasons why junk food is called junk. You’re wasting your money and paying for extra calories that your body can do without, savoring artificial flavors and chemicals, and, exposing your body to toxic and foreign substances that over time, will lead to disease and increased health care bills.
Snacking can be healthy if you’re eating the right snacks. It takes a bit of planning to find and prepare healthy snacks but all the effort is definitely worth it.
If you’re looking for something convenient, delicious, satisfying and nutritious at the same time, Dr. Joseph Mercola has created the perfect snack for you.
Dr. Mercola’s all-new cocoa cassava bar, a chocolate bar, natural energy bar, healthy protein bar and meal replacement bar rolled into one, will soon be available at Mercola.com.
Cocoa cassava bars are made using USDA-certified organic ingredients, and contains no preservatives or stabilizers, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, trans fats or MSG. You don’t need to skip breakfast, wait for your lunch hour or starve yourself after a session in the gym because you can simply grab a cocoa cassava bar to get the nourishment that you need in an instant, with the peace of mind that you’re not eating junk.
Start snacking healthy this 2010. The new and improved cocoa cassava bar will be available online starting March so keep posted!
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