Why Snacking Helps You Stay Healthy
Here at Raw Bites, we love snacking! Not the empty calorie-junk-food-filled snacking. We're talking about real, beneficial snacking that will help you to add extra nutrients to your body. That is, of course, provided you choose only healthy kinds of snacks (such as the kinds we bring you here every month in your healthy snack box!)
You'll be happy to know that there are three very important benefits of regular, healthy snacking, too. We're so glad about this, we had to share it with you in detail.
Snacking Perk #1: Feel full, longer
The first perk to snacking regularly is that it'll keep you filled up in between major meals. Let's say you want to eat a couple of hours after your lunch. That might mean you didn't have enough nutrients to fill you up during your last meal. Having a healthy snack will help you cope with any hunger pangs until supper time. In between meals, it's most ideal that you eat a complex carbohydrate with a high protein food. For example: Opt for a bar of 100% wholegrains and nuts, and drink it with some almond milk. You'll feel full and at the same time, you'll stock up on antioxidants, too!
Snacking Perk #2: Keeps your weight down and your heart healthy.
People who are trying to maintain a healthy weight will eat smaller meals a day, ideally six of these: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. You keep the calories down in your snack intervals, and eat your maximum number of calories during your full meals. This habit helps keep your blood sugar levels steady, because they won't spike as they do if there are bigger gaps between meals. And so, having a healthy array of snacks taken consistently in timed intervals each day is actually good for preventing the onset of Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other related conditions.
Snacking Perk #3: You'll get your daily nutrition requirements conveniently.
As mentioned above, eating smaller meals and incorporating snacks in between can help you consume your recommended daily allowance of nutrients for the day. As long as your snacks revolve around healthy choices (and not junk food or fast food), you will be nourished optimally. So keep your snack choices to fruits & vegetables (pesticide-free, organic, preferably), whole grains, nuts, seeds, non-dairy milks and even gluten-free products.
Don'ts for snacking
- Don't snack right before a meal.
- Don't eat a snack unless you really are hungry.
- Don't snacking out of boredom, it can lead to overeating and thus, weight gain.
- Don't eat a snack that is over 100 calories, if you are consuming it between meals.
- Don't eat a snack that has a caloric count of 250 calories, unless you are eating it as a meal replacement. Tip: Make it a healthy snack, if you're using it in place of a meal!
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