Snacking

[historyteach]

The Art of Power Snacking
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MDBy Elaine Magee
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature

One of the biggest myths about snacking is that it's a bad thing. The truth is that it's not snacking itself that's bad for us. It's all the junk food people like to snack on that gives snacking a bad name: chips, candy bars, french fries, soda, and so on.

In fact, if you eat until you are comfortable (not "full") at lunch, chances are you'll need a mid-afternoon snack to tide you over until dinner with plenty of energy. The secret is to snack only when you need to and to select smarter snacks.

7 Tips for Smart Snacking

1. Give healthy snacks a chance.

If you try some of the healthier snack alternatives out there, you may well find that you enjoy them. This appears to be true even of college students. One college dining hall discovered that when it offered healthy snacks along with traditional ones, a significant portion of the student population actually opted for health. The dining hall, which regularly sold snack bags containing sugar-laden soda, cookies, and candy, began also offering "smart snack bags," containing baked chips, low-fat cookies, fruit cups, sunflower seeds, and water. And for every two students who bought the traditional, sugar-soaked snack bag, there was one who bought the "smart" snack alternative.

If you're one of the many people whose idea of a good snack is something crunchy and salty, know that you can have your crunch and eat smart, too. Here are a few possibilities for more healthful crunchy snack foods:

Low Fat Kettle Crisps (110 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 0 g saturated fat, and 2 grams fiber per 1 ounce.)
Baked Tostitos (110 calories, 1 gram fat, 0 g saturated fat, and 2 grams fiber per 1 ounce.)
Reduced Fat Triscuits (120 calories, 3 grams fat, 0 g saturated fat, and 3 grams fiber per 1 ounce)
Padrinos Reduced Fat Tortilla Chips (130 calories, 4 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, and 1 gram fiber per ounce.)
2. Avoid trans fats.

You've no doubt heard of the trouble with trans fats by now (they raise "bad" cholesterol and lower "good" cholesterol). Well, guess which type of food they tend to lurk in? Snack foods - things like crackers, snack cakes and pies, frozen fried microwave snacks, and cookies. Anything with "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" listed among the top three ingredients on the label is suspect. Some manufacturers have done a good job of reformulating products to remove trans fats, but keep an eye out anyway.

3. Be a label detective.

Don't decide whether to buy a food based on the advertising banners on the front of the package. Check out the Nutrition Information label on the back, too. This will tell you what the company calls a portion of that food. Prepare to be amazed: What they say is a serving and what you actually eat may be completely different. The Nutrition Information label lists the calories; grams of fat, saturated fat and trans fat; and, sometimes, grams of sugar. So if the label says a serving is 1 ounce of chips and you eat 2 or 3 ounces, double or triple the nutrition information numbers.

4. Be careful with energy bars.

There are all kinds of "energy" or "power" bars being marketed under the guise of convenience and good nutrition. The truth is, these carry-anywhere bars can come in handy. But a review of many different energy bar labels reveals that choosing a bar is a matter of "picking your poison." That is, deciding what means most to you - taste, fat, fiber, protein, sugars? Generally, if bars are "low in carbs" they're also low in fiber and/or higher in fat. (Some even have quite a bit of saturated fat.) And if a bar tastes pretty good, it probably has at least 12 grams of sugars per serving.

When picking one, look for at least 3 grams of fiber (preferably 5 grams), at least 5 grams of protein (preferably 10 grams), lower amounts of fat with no saturated fat, and fewer than 20 grams of sugar.

5. Don't snack if you aren't really hungry.

Some French researchers studied the effect of two types of snacks (one high in carbohydrate and one high in protein), given a few hours after lunch, on eight lean young men. They concluded that when people who aren't hungry eat a snack -- whether it's high in carbs or protein -- they do not tend to reduce the number of calories they eat at dinner. The researchers believe this is evidence that snacking can play a role in obesity.

Are you wondering why these men weren't "hungry" a few hours after eating lunch? Researcher Didier Chapelot, MD, PhD, of the University of Paris, said that, in France, most people don't eat anything between lunch and dinner. He also noted that people who usually eat three times a day (as the men in this study regularly did), are not generally hungry until 5-7 hours after lunch.

6. Avoid high-fat snacks.

There are lots of reasons to avoid fatty snacks, including the possibility that they actually encourage overeating. Pennsylvania State University researchers found that rats who were regularly fed a high-fat diet ended up overeating high-calorie, high-fat foods, compared with rats fed a low-fat diet. The researchers suspect this has to do with a decrease in sensitivity to a hormone that normally sends a "stop eating" message to the brain.

7. Look out for TV temptations.

Convenience and fast foods high in fat and sodium made up 57% of the food advertised during the most popular TV shows, according to research by University of Illinois speech communication professor Kristen Harrison, PhD.

Harrison's research also revealed that snacking is featured in food advertising more often than all three meals combined (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). So if you watch TV, keep in mind that food companies are working to lure you into buying their snack foods and junk foods.

5 Easy Power Snacks

The perfect snack is one that packs some nutritional power but comes with a low caloric price tag.

To hold hunger at bay and provide a constant supply of energy, you want a snack that includes some carbohydrate, fiber, protein, and a little fat (preferably "smart fats" like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats). Look for at least 5 grams of protein and about 5 grams of fiber.

These five simple "power snacks" have all this and more:

Pear with cheese (1 large pear with 1 1/2 ounces of reduced-fat cheese like light Jarlsberg): 242 calories, 13 g protein, 5 g fiber, 8 g fat

A handful of almonds (3 tablespoons) and dried fruit (3 tablespoons): 250 calories, 7 g protein, 4 g fiber, 14 g fat (mostly monounsaturated).

1 ounce baked tortilla chips with 1/4 cup fat-free refried beans topped with an ounce of reduced-fat cheese and 1/8 cup tomato salsa: 250 calories, 13 g protein, 4.5 g fiber, 9 g fat.

6 ounces low-fat or nonfat light yogurt with 1/2 cup fruit, topped with 1/4 cup low-fat granola: 207 calories, 10 g protein, 5 g fiber, 2.5 g fat.

1 cup edamame with shells, or 1/2 cup edamame without shells, drizzled with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a sprinkling of black pepper: 159 calories, 10 g protein, 5 g fiber, 9 g fat (mostly monounsaturated). (Edamame, boiled green soybeans, are available in the frozen food section of many supermarkets)
Cook Up These Power Snacks

Here are a couple of power snack recipes for those times when you need a little something extra.

Veggie Pita Pizza

Journal as: 2 slices whole grain bread + 2 ounces low fat cheese + 1/2 cup "vegetables with 1 tsp fat" OR
1 "sandwich and burger lean meat"

1 whole-wheat pita pocket
1/8 cup bottled pizza sauce
1/3 cup shredded, part-skim mozzarella
1/3 cup finely chopped veggies of your choice (broccoli florets, green onions, tomato, sliced mushrooms, etc.)

Lay pita round on a baking sheet and spread pizza sauce over the top. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the pizza sauce and top with a combination of veggies.
Broil in toaster oven (or microwave on HIGH for about a minute) until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Yield: 1 serving

Per serving: 250 calories, 16 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 8.5 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 558 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 29%.

Pesto Provolone Mini Sandwich

Journal as: 2 slices whole-grain bread + 1 ounce regular cheese OR
1 "sandwich and burger lean meat"

1 small whole-wheat dinner roll (such as OroWeat 100% whole-wheat rolls)
2 teaspoons pesto sauce (bottled or in the refrigerator or freezer section)
2 ounces thinly sliced turkey breast
1/8 cup shredded provolone cheese, firmly packed

Cut dinner roll open and lay the two halves on a piece of foil or small baking sheet and spread 1 teaspoon pesto sauce over each half. Lay a double thickness of small turkey pieces over each half. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of turkey.
Broil in toaster oven (or pop in the microwave for about a minute) for a couple of minutes until cheese is melted.
Yield: 1 serving

Per serving: 250 calories, 17 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 8.5 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 28 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 700 mg sodium (depending on the products you use). Calories from fat: 30%.

Recipe provided by Elaine Magee; © 2006 Elaine Magee

Originally published Thursday, March 23, 2006.

Medically updated December 2006.


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SOURCES: Preventive Medicine 32, 2001. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2002; vol 76, No. 3. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, August 2004; vol 104, Issue 8 (Supplement 2). Journal of Nutrition, August 2005; vol 135. Kristen Harrison, PhD, assistant professor of speech communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Didier Chapelot, MD, PhD, researcher and lecturer, Physiologie du Comportement Alimentaire, University of Paris.

Shalom!

[historyteach]

Strategic Snacking After Age 65
Snacks May Help Meet Caloric Needs in People Aged 65 and Older
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDMay 4, 2007 -- Snacking may help people aged 65 and older get enough calories, a new study shows.

The researchers included Claire Zizza, PhD, RD, assistant professor in Auburn University's nutrition and food sciences department.

They note that while snacks may blow the calorie budget of younger adults, older adults tend to get fewer calories and may need snacks to make up their calorie deficit.

Zizza's team analyzed interviews from a 1999-2002 national health study that included about 2,000 U.S. adults aged 65 and older.

In the interviews, participants reported everything they had eaten during the previous 24 hours.

Most participants -- 84% -- were snackers. They typically snacked 2.5 times per day, taking in 150 calories per snacking session.

Snackers averaged 1,718 daily calories, compared with 1,466 daily calories for people who didn't snack.

The study doesn't show exactly what the snackers ate, though snacks provided about a quarter of their daily carbohydrates and calories, 20% of their daily fat, and14% of their daily protein.

Snacking apparently didn’t ruin the participants' appetites. Snackers didn't cut back on calories at meal times, the study shows.

"Our results suggest snacking may ensure older adults consume diets adequate in energy," Zizza's team writes.

Of course, nutritional quality counts. The researchers recommend promoting the consumption of healthful snacks for older adults.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
SOURCES: Zizza, C. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, May 2007; vol 107: pp 800-806. News release, American Dietetic Association.

Shalom!

[historyteach]

Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss Quiz

1. When trying to lose weight, snacks are off limits.
True

False
2. A packaged snack at the grocery store is one serving.
True

False
3. To feel full longer, eat a snack with protein and fiber.
True

False
4. 100 calories is the limit for a healthy snack for weight loss.
True

False
5. For effective weight loss, only snack when you're really hungry.
True

False



















1. False

Eating more often throughout the day can actually help you lose weight. By eating small, healthy snacks a few times a day, you can avoid binge eating when you sit down for lunch or dinner. The trick is finding the right type of healthy snack for weight loss. Treat your snack like a mini meal, with a healthy mixture of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Here are a few between-meal suggestions to tame your hunger: yogurt with granola, light cheese and whole grain crackers, hummus with carrots, or an orange and a small handful of nuts

2. False

It is not uncommon to find packaged snacks with three or more servings. There's only one way to be certain, check the label. Manufacturers must include nutritional information per serving, as well as the number of servings contained in a package. So, if your favorite snack comes in a package with six servings, measure one serving into a separate container. Otherwise, you may end up eating six times the amount of calories and fat given on the label. Be sure your healthy snack for weight loss is low on calories and high on nutrition.

3. True

While other types of snacks can make you full initially, a snack combining fiber and protein can keep you full -- making it the ideal healthy snack for weight loss. That's because fiber and protein are digested more slowly in the body than other substances we eat, keeping the food in your stomach longer. Fiber also swells in the stomach and helps create a feeling of fullness. Most high fiber foods are also high in water and low in calories, making them great diet foods. Try these tasty fiber and protein combinations: apple + peanut butter, whole grain cereal + soy milk, broccoli + bean dip, or celery + cottage cheese.

4. False

While a 100 calorie snack may be a good choice for some, it may not be appropriate for everyone. That's because individuals have different eating patterns and calorie needs based on age, gender, and physical activity level. If your calorie need for the day is 2000 calories and the meals you eat contain 1500 calories total, you have 500 "snack" calories to play with. That means you could have two snacks of 250 calories each, or two 150 calorie snacks plus a 200 calorie snack. It's important to remember that beverages count towards your total daily calories and must be factored in as well. Learn how many calories you need each day at www.mypyramid.gov.

5. False

Being on a diet doesn't mean you have to be hungry. In fact, frequent snacks help keep your weight in check. Grab a balanced, well-portioned snack about every three to four hours. Eating this often will help keep your blood sugar from dipping, which can cause you to eat the wrong things in the wrong portions. In fact, according to the American Dietetic Association, even late-night snacking isn't off limits. Whole wheat pita bread and hummus, bean dip and baked tortilla chips, or peanut butter on whole wheat crackers are all good options.

Shalom!

[Neagrm]

Wow, Historyteach! Thank you for all this wonderful info. I'm going to print some of it out and re-read it. Lots of great ideas. I really appreciate your sharing it and the sources, too.

Nea

[historyteach]

Glad it was helpful to you, Neagrm!

Shalom!