The disadvantages of snacking haunts the people who claim to follow a diet but munch on a few snacks in between meals. Believe it or not, we're all guilty of indulging ourselves with a midnight snack now and then.
Do you know the factors that randomly urge you to eat snacks any time of the day? There are various reasons why it happens. Fortunately, experts found multiple ways how you could help yourself develop healthy eating habits.
In this article, you'll read:
- The Disadvantages of Snacking
- Reasons That Urge You to Eat Snacks
- Few Things You Can Do to Minimise Snacking
The Disadvantages of Snacking
At any time of the day, whether it's 3 AM or 3 PM, there could be times when you randomly feel the need to eat a snack. For some, it has become a habit that they can hardly stop.
There could be instances when you feel like you want to go to the pantry every five minutes. Do you ever wonder why these things happen?
Well, experts discovered the reason behind it. They said that the regulation of food intake could be very biological; a person's hormones determine their eating habit, especially in younger years.
Reasons That Urge You to Eat Snacks
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are various reasons behind a person’s urge to eat snacks. Experts consider the following factors which cause you to snack:
Lack of Sleep
One of the major snack enablers is lack of sleep. Experts say that leptin is an essential hormone that signals satiety, conversely, ghrelin stimulates appetite. They also link lack of sleep with high leptin and ghrelin levels.
In relation to this, they also discovered that elevated levels of satiety hormone do not impose positive effects on the body as it signals leptin resistance. The human body requires more of the hormone to feel full, but with leptin resistance, it may not be producing enough of it.
Additionally, high levels of ghrelin are also a disadvantage. It is capable of making your appetite constantly stimulated.
Skipping Meals
If you are trying to lose weight, there is a huge possibility that you tend to cut down your food intake. There could also be times when you need to skip lunch because you are busy or there are many things you should do.
Unfortunately, eating too little of a regular meal or not eating at all can result in a higher intake of calories from snacks. Remember that regularly eating proper meals can induce you to eat snacks in the afternoon.
Get Together
Socialising is just a common thing an individual does on a daily basis. There are various times when we catch up with different people in our lives, including our colleagues, family, friends, and loved ones.
In most instances, we tend to grab something to eat while catching up with them. Undeniably, eating has been an essential part of every get-together.
In times like this, it would be better for you to select snacks that are low in calories and high in fibre. For drinks, you may go for a cup of tea or coffee with less sugar.
Stress
A lot of things happen in a person’s life. However, not everything in our lives is happy; stress is also part of human life.
During the stressful moments of our lives, we are more likely to be filled up with unhealthy snacks than going for proper meals. Experts say that the stress hormone cortisol may result in an increase in appetite; it also urges a person’s motivation to eat.
Few Things You Can Do to Minimise Snacking
Now that you are aware of the various factors that cause you to eat snacks in unhealthy ways, it would be better that you also know how you can minimise snacking.
Drink a Lot
In some instances, people become confused with hunger and thirst. When you don’t feel like drinking water, you might want to try flavour drinks—it could definitely help curb your cravings. Looking for a more simple option? You can also try to satisfy your cravings with a cup of hot tea.
Eat Satiating Meals
Satiating meals are the ones capable of making you feel full. It is filled with lean protein and fibre from vegetables and whole grains, which helps avoid the sudden rise and fall of blood sugar levels that contribute to your cravings later on.
Avoid Tolerating Boredom
The number one best combination for boredom is unhealthy snacking. The best way to beat this duo is to keep yourself busy.
When you feel like you are truly hungry, it would be better that you choose snacks that contain fibre and protein. It could be fruits, yoghurt, unsalted nuts, etc.
If you know that you are just craving but not hungry at all, you can distract yourself by focusing on the things not related to food.
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.