As the number of fast-food restaurants and, subsequently, the epidemic of obesity rises annually, the world demands a new approach to nutrition to prevent long-term health complications. In addition to controlling what food to consume, nutritionists often now recommend introducing snacks to control insulin spikes and hunger, increase basic metabolic rate, and introduce essential elements into individuals’ diets (Marangoni et al., 2019). Indeed, healthy snacking helps people lose weight and is critical to maintaining normal body mass index and preserving muscle mass.
Snacking, which is food between the main meals and usually comprises a small portion of the daily intake, can be healthy or unhealthy. The former includes fruits, vegetables, protein bars, and juices, while the latter incorporates chocolate bars, savory snacks, soft drinks, pastries, cakes, and other sweets (Allan et al., 2019). The review article by Marangoni et al. (2019) discusses that most publications showed a higher tendency to choose unhealthy snacks among overweight and obese individuals of all age groups compared to those with normal weight. Snacking, when chosen wisely, can contribute to body fat loss; conversely, eating fast food between meals may lead to obesity. However, people frequently cannot control what they consume during the day in various circumstances. For example, the cross-sectional study by Allan et al. (2019) demonstrated that individuals tend to eat more unhealthy snacks on social occasions or at work. Therefore, researchers suggest controlling the types of snacks in offices and parties to ensure the wide availability of nutritionally dense food rather than high-calorie but unhealthy snacks.
In summary, snacking is now considered a part of healthy nutrition plans, but it requires a wise selection of food products. Snacks Research showed that people often consume unhealthy snacks between meals due to their availability in social circumstances. Therefore, it is essential for people of all ages struggling with weight to monitor their snacking patterns and be mindful of their nutritional choices to prevent various chronic diseases.
References
Allan, J., McMinn, D., & Powell, D. (2019). Tracking snacking in real-time: Time to look at individualized patterns of behavior.Nutrition and Health, 25(3), 179–184. Web.
Marangoni, F., Martini, D., Scaglioni, S., Sculati, M., Donini, L. M., Leonardi, F., Agostoni, C., Castelnuovo, G., Ferrara, N., Chiselli, A., Giampietro, M., Maffeis, C., Porrini, M., Barbi, B., & Poli, A. (2019). Snacking in nutrition and health.International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 70(8), 909-923. Web.