Snacking has become a part of our regular days. We plan snacks in between meals to help get us through our activities. There are the latte and energy bar mid-morning, and a 100-calorie pack in mid-afternoon. Even after dinner snacks of popcorn or a sweet treat can be doing you harm.
But what are these snacks doing to curb your hunger? Not much.
Depending on what you choose, it might actually make you hungrier.
Eating the right meals full of macronutrients fuels you up and turns off your hunger hormones. If you snack in between, it can disrupt your digestion process.
Most people think that delaying meals to four, six, or even more hours during the day is impossible without feeling hungry. The key is eating the right meals that will help you turn off your hunger. A meal filled with protein, fat, fiber, and greens will calm your hunger. The right foods will give you everything you need until your next meal.
The latest research confirms this. Research shows that eating more frequently sets you up for exhaustion and premature aging. It also slows down your body’s fat burning process. Here’s why.
The Digestion Process
When you eat, your body requires time and energy to break down the food into tiny enough molecules for it to be absorbed. The digestion process can take up to six hours or more. When you eat a snack, you’re disrupting this process. It takes away energy that your body is doing to perform this natural function. And when it can’t absorb properly, it changes and stores it as fat.
Most Snacks Are Junk Food
Most snacks you grab for those in between meals are nothing more than junk food. It’s the protein bars, the crackers, the chips. It doesn’t matter if they’re gluten-free, grain-free, or vegan. They are filled with processed foods that your body doesn’t need. When you take them in, you’re interrupting your body’s process of absorbing real foods, and sending it on a blood sugar high, which causes you to crash and crave more of the bad stuff.
So you want to look better, feel better, and have more energy in the process? Pack in the good stuff at your meals - fewer meals - and avoid snacks throughout the day. Research has shown that reducing your meals can make a big difference in both your health and your weight, providing you’re taking in enough nutrition at each meal. Our bodies are extraordinary machines if you give it what it needs.