What Do You Snack On?

flyinglentris

flyinglentris

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US Dietary Guidelines state that meals should be small, but that food should be consumed continuously throughout the day, snacking between the three main meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I must admit that I typically only eat breakfast and one other main meal, but do snack during the day.

What do I snack on? It might be anything from chips, berries, fruit, salads, smoothies, candy bars, cheese, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, breads, soups, ice cream, desserts of various types and other stuff, quite a bit of other stuff.

What do you snack on?
 
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flyinglentris said:
US Dietary Guidelines state that meals should be small, but that food should be consumed continuously throughout the day, snacking between the three main meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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Blimey - is that really so? I find it hard to believe that US Dietary guidelines would say that 'food should be consumed continuously throughout the day'. That would be a licence to encourage obesity.

I don't really snack at all. Maybe occasionally a packet of crisps. I also don't eat three meals a day. Usually one light meal in the evening and an even lighter one at lunch time. Often nothing for lunch. I do 'taste test' the food I cook for others though.
 
Morning Glory said:
Blimey - is that really so? I find it hard to believe that US Dietary guidelines would say that 'food should be consumed continuously throughout the day'. That would be a licence to encourage obesity.

I don't really snack at all. Maybe occasionally a packet of crisps. I also don't eat three meals a day. Usually one light meal in the evening and an even lighter one at lunch time. Often nothing for lunch. I do 'taste test' the food I cook for others though.
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Continuously does not mean to stuff your face from one minute to the next, uninterrupted, but more that food should be consumed between the major meals and later, after dinner. And in particular, the major meals should not be huge, as mine usually are. I like big major meals, so snacking at other times during the day is I suppose, problematic. The idea is to be in keeping the body fueled. The real obesity issues come from what one eats and snacks on, not the frequency. Soda pops, candies, fatty junk foods and so forth are causes, not just of obesity, but type 2 diabetes as well.

I had a dietician show me what a major meal should be like. It was described as having the major item on the plate being no bigger than one's fist in diameter and not so high as a fist. I always thought that was ridiculously beyond complying with and would leave me hungry and craving. And to be sure, that may be one more reason why you feel that the US Guidelines are incredible when they advocate eating food continuously during the day, even if the snacks come say, every two or three hours between major meals. You too, would have trouble eating a wickedly small main meal at supper time. Skipping breakfast or doing with just a small bowl of oats, I can do that. But, if I drink coffee, I usually need something for breakfast to keep my stomach settled. So, I rarely skip breakfast any more. My late day meals are large, as the photos I post attest. However, I do snack during the day, as well.
 
That surprises me , too. I´d have thought snacking all day is the best way bad health, rather than good!
I eat breakfast, lunch ( fairly late) and a small dinner - sometimes just soup, and sometimes nothing at all. No nibbling in between.
 
When I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes several years ago, that was the first thing we learned in nutritional retraining - ditch the idea of "three squares a day" (meaning big meals) and concentrate on three sensible, nutritionally sound meals a day and three healthy snacks (one between each meal) - the idea being that it better regulates my glucose levels throughout the day, so I minimize any spikes and drops.

That said, as long as I keep the snack portion reasonable and within what my doctor-determined carb intake should be, I'll snack on whatever suits me. Sometimes, it's something that's a better choice, like an apple, and sometimes, it's a pure pleasure item, like a bit of caramel.

Yesterday, I had grapes for my post-breakfast snack, an apple for my post-lunch snack, and a chocolate-covered graham cracker square for my post-supper snack.
 
Morning Glory said:
Blimey - is that really so? I find it hard to believe that US Dietary guidelines would say that 'food should be consumed continuously throughout the day'. That would be a licence to encourage obesity.

I don't really snack at all. Maybe occasionally a packet of crisps. I also don't eat three meals a day. Usually one light meal in the evening and an even lighter one at lunch time. Often nothing for lunch. I do 'taste test' the food I cook for others though.
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The US population is about 75% overweight and obese and diabetes or prediabetes is just over 1/3rd and not going in the right direction. There's literally hundred of well designed RCT that show meal frequency has no relationship to weight gain or loss and promoting an "eat continually through out the day" mantra is about as unscientific as you can get.
 
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TastyReuben said:
When I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes several years ago, that was the first thing we learned in nutritional retraining - ditch the idea of "three squares a day" (meaning big meals) and concentrate on three sensible, nutritionally sound meals a day and three healthy snacks (one between each meal) - the idea being that it better regulates my glucose levels throughout the day, so I minimize any spikes and drops.

That said, as long as I keep the snack portion reasonable and within what my doctor-determined carb intake should be, I'll snack on whatever suits me. Sometimes, it's something that's a better choice, like an apple, and sometimes, it's a pure pleasure item, like a bit of caramel.

Yesterday, I had grapes for my post-breakfast snack, an apple for my post-lunch snack, and a chocolate-covered graham cracker square for my post-supper snack.
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That's the idea. And so, this thread not only begs to know what people are snacking on, but also, why and whether they understand why snacking is advisable as a consistent means of food consumption, daily.
 
garlichead said:
There's literally hundred of well designed RCT that show meal frequency has no relationship to weight gain or loss and promoting an "eat continually through out the day" mantra is about as unscientific as you can get, not to mention just plain ignorant. imo
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I would like to see the source quote as I find it hard to believe this is what is recommended by official US guidelines.

Could you please quote from the source flyinglentris, to clarify this?
 
Morning Glory said:
.... I have heard the mantra 'little and often' in relation to meals which makes a bit more sense, I suppose.
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That's exactly how I interpret "meals should be small, but that food should be consumed continuously throughout the day, snacking between the three main meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner" - eat smaller meals and eat more often.
 
garlichead said:
It makes sense because if meals are small then by default a person would need to eat more to meet their daily calorie requirements and for no other reason.
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Well yes, of course but there are some schools of thought which think that little and often rather than 3 larger meals a day is a better way to eat because it prevents being too hungry and therefore over eating at main meals. I'm not saying I agree with that. The jury is out really. There is scarce scientific proof either way. I tend to think that its a question of what suits the individual and their lifestyle.

There's an article here: 3-Hour Diet or 3 Meals a Day?
 
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