We have now passed the era of eating three square meals a day. Not only do most working people no longer have time for that format, but it is also considered to be less healthy than eating healthy snacks throughout the day. Snacking does so much for you that you may not even be aware of. It regulates your blood glucose levels, tamps down on overeating, and even supplements your nutrition intake. Read on to learn more about how eating healthy snacks can benefit you.
Helps to Regulate Your Blood Sugar Levels
When you make it a point to snack healthily, it keeps your blood sugar levels from spiking either up or down. This is especially true if you regularly eat a certain amount of carbs during snack time. This is great for diabetics, but everyone can benefit from regulating their blood sugar levels. It can help with insulin resistance, obesity, high blood pressure, and the prevention of heart disease.
Great Way to Stop Overeating
Snacking is an important way to regulating your food intake in a way that prevents you from overeating. The best thing about including snacks in your diet is that you can eat smaller meals overall. Since you’re eating frequently, you also stay satiated, so you feel less inclined to stuff yourself. You’re also more likely to make healthy eating decisions come meal time, because you’re not driven by your hunger.
Great Supplement for Nutrients
When you make it a point to snack healthily, you’re also committing to supplementing your nutrients. That’s why the best snacks are small and nutrient dense like nuts, seeds, cruciferous vegetables, fruit slices, etc. Make sure the snacks you eat have a low glycemic index, are nutrient dense, and are tasty of course. Ensure you carry nuts and fruits in insulated storage containers, the kind that will keep the fresh for a long time.
Snacks are great for you, but there is a time and place for everything. Most importantly, when it comes to snacking, you absolutely do not want to snack right before a meal (that kind of defeats the purpose). You also want to make sure you’re not snacking simply because you’re bored or because you’re in a heightened emotional state. This type of snacking is not healthy and will cause you to miss your health goals entirely. Try to keep your snacks to about 100 calories unless you’re snacking to replace a meal. In that case, eat a slightly larger snack that is about 250 calories.