Want to lose weight? Snack between meals

Conventional wisdom has it that snacking causes weight gain. This isn't necessarily true
Osnat Harel

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.

What about chocolate?

There is a variety of snacks available in the home or outside. Here is the complete list, along with the pros and cons of each:

Chocolate and chocolate snacks (bars, chocolate-covered wafers)

• Meets needs: Satisfies a craving for something sweet, readily available, has a long shelf life.

• Meets quality requirements: Low. Full of saturated fat with a very high glycemic index.

• Best choice: Bittersweet chocolate with 70% cocoa.

• Tips: Eat small amounts, be aware that it can increase appetite.

• Recommended serving: 15-30 grams.

Salty snacks (potato chips, crackers, etc.)

• Meets needs: Meets the need for something to munch on, readily available, has a long shelf life.

• Meets quality requirements: Low. Mostly full of saturated fat and salt, has a high glycemic index.

• Best choice: Wholemeal pretzels.

• Tips: Be aware of uncontrolled consumption. Most people think an entire package is a reasonable portion, but it is actually too large, especially given that salty snacks are not nutritious. Since they are often eaten when we’re busy with other things, portion control can be a real problem. In any case, snacks made from whole grain flour are best.

• Recommended serving: About 30 grams.

Fresh fruit (apple, orange, banana, grapes, peach, watermelon, melon)

• Meets needs: Satisfies a craving for something sweet and satisfies hunger in the medium term, moderately available, has a relatively short shelf life.

• Meets quality requirements: Good. Rich in vitamins and minerals, low in fat, has a medium-to-low glycemic index.

• Best choice: Apple or pear.

• Tips: Eating fruit on an empty stomach is especially beneficial because it facilitates digestion and absorption of vitamins, making fruit an excellent snack. Fruits are full of water, which provides a feeling of fullness and satiety.

• Recommended serving: One large fruit (150-200 grams).

Dried fruit (figs, dates, apricots, prunes)

• Meets needs: Satisfies a craving for something sweet, moderately available, has a long shelf life.

• Meets quality requirements: Good. Rich in vitamins and minerals, low in fat, medium-to-high glycemic index.

• Best choice: Prunes, dried apricots.

• Tips: The glycemic index and calorie count of dried fruit is nearly twice as high as for regular fruit, so portion control is important. To ensure satiety, dried fruit should be combined with large-volume foods rich in protein (such as yogurt), which provide a feeling of fullness as well.

• Recommended serving: 30-40 grams.

Ice cream and popsicles (ice cream, popsicles, frozen yogurt)

• Meets needs: Satisfies a craving for something sweet and something cold, moderately available, has a relatively short shelf life.

• Meets quality requirements: Mostly reasonable. Low-to-high fat, medium glycemic index.

• Best choice: Frozen yogurt.

• Tips: The main difficulty is that portions can’t be controlled. It’s hard to take a bite or two of a popsicle and then save the rest, so pay attention when you choose which type of ice cream or popsicle to buy.

• Recommended serving: Depends on the amount of fat. You can have 70-90 grams of ice cream made from vegetable fat or ice cream with no more than 5% fat, while full fat ice cream should be limited to 40 grams.

Dairy products (fruit yogurt, puddings, milk-based drinks)

• Meets needs: Satisfies a craving for something sweet, readily available, has a short shelf life.

• Meets quality requirements: Good. Rich in protein, low in fat, medium-to-low glycemic index.

• Best choice: Unsweetened yogurt with fruit.

• Tips: The main problem is the large amount of sugar added to yogurt, which can double or even triple the number of calories, especially since it’s difficult to exercise portion control. Choose plain yogurt and sweeten it with chopped fruit, or add measured amounts of granola or nuts.

Nuts and seeds

• Meets needs: Meet the need for something to munch on, high-to-medium availability, long shelf life.

• Meets quality requirements: Excellent when nuts or seeds are not roasted. Rich in protein and essential fatty acids, very low glycemic index.

• Best choice: Walnuts and pumpkin seeds (not roasted and unsalted).

• Tips: The most widely available products (roasted and salted) are of the lowest quality. Roasting, salting, deep frying, and coating enhance the flavor but detract from the quality, in terms of both fatty acids and added sodium. Another pitfall is the large amount of fat, which means a lot of calories and a high density, which can lead to overeating.

• Recommended serving: 10 almonds or 3 walnuts or 15 peanuts or a handful of seeds with the shell. Goes very well with dried fruit.

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.

The writer is an engineer and consultant on nutrition issues and body sculpting