It’s a couple of hours since you last ate, and your stomach is rumbling. But with a long stretch ahead until your next big meal, it can be tempting to snack on a chocolate bar or a couple of biscuits to keep you going. Even if you are sticking to a new healthy eating programme, it is these quick pick-me-ups that could be making it difficult to shift those extra kilogrammes and may even be adding to them. Fortunately femail.co.uk has found a selection of healthy snacks to keep away the hunger pangs without ruining your diet. Follow our good snack guide and you might be surprised at some of the alternatives. Why snacking can be healthy Some experts say that snacking on healthy food can actually be good for you. Studies have shown that athletes who eat a snack which is low in fat and high in carbohydrates before a sporting activity will be able to perform better. Martha Kaneza, a nutritionist, recommends eating three meals a day with a snack in the morning and a snack in the afternoon, more like five small meals a day. “Eating regularly throughout the day helps maintain your blood sugar levels so you avoid the cravings and crashes that come after eating a sugary snack like a bar of chocolate,” she says. When you eat a sugary snack, the sugar is quickly released into your bloodstream. This boosts your production of insulin which turns the sugar into energy. The problem is insulin can convert all the sugar available in your body very quickly, giving you a sugar ‘high’ followed soon after by a sugar ‘low’. This means you could end up with a lower blood-sugar level than before you ate the snack, making you feel even more lethargic. Eating large meals can also put a strain on our digestive system as our bodies struggle to turn a large amount of food into energy. This can cause bloating and a lack of energy. By eating little and often, you avoid this problem and spread your calorie intake throughout the day, helping the body work more efficiently. If you are the sort of person who likes to snack on sugary food, it may be best to stick to three meals a day so you know exactly how many calories you are consuming. But if you can plan your snacks into your diet so you do not consume more than the recommended amount of calories, eating five smaller meals a day could be good for you.
