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United Grazers of America

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Consider these 2 factoids, from a recent USA Today article by Ellie Krieger, RD:

1) Every day, 90% of Americans eat at least one snack between meals

2) We now eat twice the daily snacks that we did just 30 years ago

Do you think this might have something to do with our obesity epidemic?

What you need to know:

Snacking is not necessarily bad for you. In fact, many people find that a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack actually help them better deal with hunger and reach the next meal less likely to over consume.

The problem is that many snacks are empty calories – they solve a very short term hunger pang through a tempting combination of sweet / fat / salt. And since “it’s just a treat”, some people don’t realize a snack or two or three may be a significant contributor to their daily calorie count.

Clever marketing over the years has convinced us that everywhere and every time of the day is appropriate for a snack. Cup holders in the car, vending machines at the gym, coffe shops inside bookstores – you get the idea…

Many of us eat because food is practically thrown in front of us. Think of all the cakes, donuts, and candies you are exposed to at work because a co-worker is celebrating something and brought goodies for the team.

It takes strong willpower not to succumb to such temptations.

How do you deal with snacking?

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  • Dave

    Here is a very simple and delicious Oranga and Almond snack that is fun to make and fun to eat. Make it for yourself or for someone else that you love. Oranges are exploding off the trees here in the Coachella Valley. http://www.newtaste.com/orangesnack.html

  • Sishorrock

    I eat low carb high fat. I’m never hungry and eat 3 meals a day. Snacking is induced by a high level of insulin. It’s the reason for the diabetes and obesity explosion

  • Sishorrock

    I eat low carb high fat. I’m never hungry and eat 3 meals a day. Snacking is induced by a high level of insulin. It’s the reason for the diabetes and obesity explosion

  • Sishorrock

    I eat low carb high fat. I’m never hungry and eat 3 meals a day. Snacking is induced by a high level of insulin. It’s the reason for the diabetes and obesity explosion

  • Sishorrock

    I eat low carb high fat. I’m never hungry and eat 3 meals a day. Snacking is induced by a high level of insulin. It’s the reason for the diabetes and obesity explosion

  • Ken Leebow

    It’s all about satiety and taste … if you are eating foods with health benefits that taste great … eat (almost) as much as you want. What a great feeling!

    Ken Leebow
    http://www.SatietyandTaste.com

    • Norma

      I’m all about whole foods, clean eating , health benefits, satiety and taste…but I used to easily  put away 3/4 stick of cheddar cheese and 3 cups of grapes as a 700+ calorie “snack” every afternoon and never felt like I was stuffed…mindless snacking is an issue, no matter how “good” the food in question is.

  • Ggffsfs

    I get through my day by snacking! I normally eat every 2-3 hours. The only difference is, instead of any type of processed/junk/whatever empty calorie food, I have a piece of fruit, a vegetable, or 5 almonds. Works for me.

  • Lisa

    I used to graze like a horse. Thank my lucky stars for my metabolism. Now, I usually have an apple and some nuts for a snack. I do the lower carb and high fat thing, too. I never think of it as low carb, though, more like normal carb.

  • Lisa

    I used to graze like a horse. Thank my lucky stars for my metabolism. Now, I usually have an apple and some nuts for a snack. I do the lower carb and high fat thing, too. I never think of it as low carb, though, more like normal carb.

  • Mitzi

    I eat small meals roughly every 3 hours, because I burn a tremendous amount of energy moving around. As a teacher, I was always giving more detentions in the afternoon classes than in the morning. The mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks leveled my moods, and the kids saw the benefits. I eat a plant-based, high fruit-and-veg diet. The snacks are generally home-made whole-grain (low sugar and no oil) muffins, nuts with dried fruit, or veggies with hummus or peanut butter. I am 5 ft 10, 140 lb. My morbidly obese mom eats twice a day, low carb, high fat. Snacking does not cause obesity- a complex combination of genes built for periodic starvation (and hard manual labor) and an endless sea of junky, non-nutritious food (and hours staring at screens) causes the obesity epidemic.

  • AnnoyedAnonymous

    I don’t even really eat any full meals anymore except for breakfast which I intentionally make rich. I eat maybe every 2 hours but it’s either an apple with a slice of cheese, a banana with nuts, some strawberries, some yogurt with granola, a hard-boiled egg, small things like that. Keeps my blood sugar constant and I know exactly what my body is craving by what seems best at the moment. Also: eat slowly… =)

  • Darryl Miglio

    I will grab the water bottle before a mid meal snack.  A large slug of water will usually resolve what was perceived to be hunger. 

  • Darryl Miglio

    I will grab the water bottle before a mid meal snack.  A large slug of water will usually resolve what was perceived to be hunger. 

  • OJean

    Wow, i am definitely a snacker. I eat 2 meals a day and just snack the whole rest of the day. I never really thought about it as empty calories, because i try to make the snacks healthier but i definitely could be better with that.