snacking-related stories
Variety is the Spice of Snacking
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Tired of the same old snacks? Adding some variety to your pantry can help you slim down.
Limiting Snack Food Options - Bad Idea?
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| Photo: ginnerobot, Flickr |
To test responses to monotonous snacks, 31 obese and 27 non-obese women were divided into three groups. For two weeks, the women ate either a 300-calorie snack or a 100-calorie snack. The snack, which they indicated liking at the start of the study, remained the same every day. A control group ate no snack. Although there were no changes in women's motivation to obtain the food in the 100-calorie and no-snack groups, changes were significant in the 300-calorie group. While the non-obese women in this group had less motivation to get the snack food after the two-week period, obese women's motivation to obtain the food increased.
Researchers can't explain the differences, but they do offer this message: "Weight reduction plans that focus on limiting variety of snacks may be less successful in obese women," says Jennifer L. Temple, lead study author and assistant professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. "Limiting snack food variety may increase reinforcing value (which has been linked to increased caloric intake) and contribute to poor adherence to energy-restricting diets." The bottom line: If you want to use snacking to your advantage, snack on a variety of healthy foods.
Jump Rope, Healthy Midnight Snacks, Road-Tested Diets - Links We Love
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
We at That's Fit and AOL Health know you've got a lot going on in your lives besides staying in great shape, and we realize that more than just diet and exercise goes into feeling your best every day. That's why we're sharing some of the exciting reporting going on at AOL Health.
Who says jump roping is just for kids? If you have the stamina for it, it can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour. Learn more about jump roping for fitness here.
So you've got a case of the late-night munchies and the question is what's best thing to eat at that time of night? Check out AOL's 11 healthy midnight snacks. Bonus: Carbs don't make for a bad nosh.
Looking for a new healthy-eating or fitness plan? Check out former yo-yo dieter-turned-weight-loss author Kim Bensen's road-tested diet reviews. Believe her, she's tried 'em all.
Who says jump roping is just for kids? If you have the stamina for it, it can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour. Learn more about jump roping for fitness here.
So you've got a case of the late-night munchies and the question is what's best thing to eat at that time of night? Check out AOL's 11 healthy midnight snacks. Bonus: Carbs don't make for a bad nosh.
Looking for a new healthy-eating or fitness plan? Check out former yo-yo dieter-turned-weight-loss author Kim Bensen's road-tested diet reviews. Believe her, she's tried 'em all.
Night Eating - Bad Habit or Disorder That Can Cause Weight Gain?
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Kelly Allison, Ph.D., co-author of "Overcoming Night Eating Syndrome"
That's Fit: Can you describe some of the clear signs and of having "Night Eating Syndrome" (NES) versus just having late-night munchies every so often?
Allison: Most people have some sort of snack in the evenings, but the difference is that, with NES, the eating is usually related to eating in order to fall asleep, and it usually affects the level of hunger during the first half of the day. NES is a disorder characterized [by] consuming more than a quarter of daily [food] intake after dinner and/or waking up at night to eat at least twice per week. People who have NES usually have little hunger in the first half of the day. They begin eating more as the day goes on and, after a while, feel resigned to the fact that they will eat more than they want to in the evening. When people are waking up [in the middle of the night] to eat, they usually do so about an hour or two after falling asleep. After a while it becomes "automatic," where they feel drawn to eat as soon as they wake up.
That's Fit: Can you describe some of the clear signs and of having "Night Eating Syndrome" (NES) versus just having late-night munchies every so often?
Allison: Most people have some sort of snack in the evenings, but the difference is that, with NES, the eating is usually related to eating in order to fall asleep, and it usually affects the level of hunger during the first half of the day. NES is a disorder characterized [by] consuming more than a quarter of daily [food] intake after dinner and/or waking up at night to eat at least twice per week. People who have NES usually have little hunger in the first half of the day. They begin eating more as the day goes on and, after a while, feel resigned to the fact that they will eat more than they want to in the evening. When people are waking up [in the middle of the night] to eat, they usually do so about an hour or two after falling asleep. After a while it becomes "automatic," where they feel drawn to eat as soon as they wake up.
Walking the Walk - Day 1
There are plenty of reasons why an apple is a great go-to healthy snack. It's low in calories -- just 81 calories for a medium-sized version. But it's also rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, important for cardiovascular and digestive health. Fiber also helps keep you full longer, which makes an apple a great snack for weight control.
Keep the skin on your apple, and you'll increase its vitamin and antioxidant content. Almost half of the vitamin C in an apple sits just under its peel, and the flavonoid quercetin -- which may protect against cancer -- is only found in the skin. That extra crunch boosts the fiber content too.
My favorite varieties are Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp, so I stocked up on a few of each.
Walking the Walk - Day 1
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Day 1: I'm kind of both nervous and excited to start Crave-NX today. Nervous, because as I previously mentioned, I'm not big on diet aids. I'm worried about weird side effects. But I'm excited because snacking is where my diet nearly always fails. If I can keep my diet to meals alone -- maybe with a piece of fruit or veggies in between -- I know I'll eventually reach my goals.At 10 a.m., the first craving hits. "I'm hungry," my brain says. Only I'm not, because I just had breakfast at 8. So instead I reach for the Crave-NX. It's got a mild flavor, like orange drink. I squirt five times, then go back to work. My mouth feels kind of tingly, and 15 minutes later I look up from my computer and realize I'm not hungry after all.
Huh.
Walking the Walk - Day 3
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Day 3: According to the Crave-NX packaging, I can use the spray between meals, before meals, before exercising, and really, whenever a craving hits. (But Crave-NX is not to be used as a meal replacement, so don't even think about it.) I'm finding that it's the biggest help in the mornings, but this afternoon it came in handy too. Out for a bike ride, my girls talked me into stopping in at the ice cream store. I happened to have Crave-NX in my purse and pulled it out. I felt a little silly using it in public, but I learned two things: 1) Don't miss your mouth ... this stuffy is sticky! And 2) I really do have willpower against double scoop waffle cones.
Crave-NX didn't stop me from ordering ice cream (not even magical spray could do that), but I stuck to a baby-sized scoop of a lite sorbet, rather than something far more damaging.
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Walking the Walk - Making it Work for You
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If Crave-NX sounds like a product that might help you, you can order it easily from their website. There are also plenty of other ways to combat cravings while you lose weight, too, including:
- Drink plenty of water. Sometimes what feels like hunger is actually thirst.
- Eat! Small meals or snacks every three hours or so will keep blood sugar levels more stable.
- Balance your snacks with protein and fat. Munching on carbs just leads to craving more carbs.
- Brush your teeth. It's distracting, and nobody wants to ruin a minty fresh feeling with a sugary snack.
- Try filling up on a bulky fruit -- apples work great. They'll satisfy your sweet tooth while keeping you full.
Have you ever tried to cut cravings? What kinds of tips and tricks can you share with our readers to make this healthy habit stick?
Got a Walking the Walk idea you'd like to see Bethany try for seven days? Share it with us in comments!
Overeating - Why Even Smart Dieters Do it
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Brian Wansink, Ph.D., and Author of "Mindless Eating"
That's Fit: In your book, you mention calorie-compensation, a phenomenon that can occur when people exercise to "make up" for the calories they burned, by eating more. How can you avoid it?
Eat Five to Six Small Meals a Day
Walk the Walk, Diet & Weight Loss
Let me let you in on a little secret: Despite my poker-straight hair, I'm like the girl with a curl. When my habits are healthy, they are very, very healthy. When they are not ... well ... you know.
Lately, I've found myself grazing -- skip breakfast, eat a granola bar around ten, start to get ravenous around two, binge, feel guilty, vow to do better. It's ugly. I know myself; regular, nutritious meals are the foundation of maintaining my healthy habits, probably more than anything else. The minute I start skipping meals, I'm headed for diet disaster.
With that in mind, I've decided to try eating five to six small meals a day for this week's "Walking the Walk." Though I tend to be more of a three squares and one or two small snacks kind of girl, I think this will help me get back into the habit of eating consistent, healthy meals. (Plus, it might just jump-start my metabolism.)
I aim for a 1500-calorie day, so I'm going to try and divide those calories equally -- 300 each meal for a total of five meals. If you're trying this at home, be sure to eat the amount of calories that are right for you.
Snacks - Healthy Pre-Dinner Choices
Still have a few hours before dinner, but your tummy is rumbling? Have a healthy snack! Many people swear off snacking in an attempt to cut calories. But snacking is actually a healthy choice. Small, nutritious snacks prevent you from getting ravenous between meals (and potentially overeating). Also, when you choose your snacks wisely, they can help stabilize your blood sugar.
Real Simple has great ideas for healthy snacks that will tide you over until dinner. For example, the Cashew Strawberry Crunch sounds delish -- just top a Ryvita fruit crunch with a tablespoon of cashew butter (rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats). Then, sliced strawberries are placed on top. Yummy!
Skip the Snacks After 6 PM
Walk the Walk, Diet & Weight Loss, Best Life with Bob Greene
When it comes to late night snacking, the jury is still out on whether or not it helps with weight loss. As Maggie recently pointed out, many experts believe a calorie is just a calorie, no matter what time of day that you eat it.
Over at AOL Health, Bob Greene shares his seven habits of successful weight loss. One of Bob's best known tips, possibly because he shared it with Oprah, is to choose a closing time for your kitchen. In other words, put a stop to late-night snacking. His theory is that if you overdo at breakfast or lunch, you've got time to burn a few of those extra calories off. But if you overdo near bedtime ... well, you can't sleep it off, now can you?
I agree with the idea that a calorie is just a calorie. But as Bob suggests, and as Maggie also points out in this post, late-night snacks tend to be more of the chips and dip variety, eaten mindlessly in front of the TV, rather than a carrot or an apple. That's emotional eating, and getting a handle on emotional eating is one of Bob's seven tips for success.
Bob suggests setting your kitchen closing time for sometime after dinner, usually 7 PM. Since we eat an early dinner, I'll be closing my kitchen at 6 PM this week to cut back on late night snacks and see if this is a tip that really can affect weight loss. Fingers crossed.
Treat-Free Household - Throwing Out the Junk in 2009
I adopted my son when he was 10 years old, so many of his eating habits were already formed. With time and determination, he's learned to enjoy home-cooked meals (he only liked frozen foods when he first moved in) and understands a lot more about nutrition. But the junk food addiction has remained a problem.
I've tried instituting other rules, such as having healthful "anytime foods" that he can snack on whenever he likes and in any quantity he desires. The treat foods were left for desserts and small treats each day. It's a good idea in theory, but it led to my son trying to sneak those foods up to his room. When they became hands-off foods, they were more desirable than ever.
Late Night Snacking - How It Can All Go Wrong
For many people, eating late at night consists of snacking on popcorn, chips or other treats. If these treats are in moderation, that's not such a bad thing. But late-night eating often equals mindless eating, and that's never a good thing. Just think about it -- you're watching the latest episode of Lost and munching on chips straight from the bag. Before you know it, half the bag is gone and you don't even know how it happened.
Just because you have a green light to eat late at night doesn't mean you can eat mindlessly. Opt for healthier snacks such as cut veggies and hummus and always measure out your snacks so you don't eat more than you intend.
School Snacks - Out With Unhealthy, In With Produce
Kids learn a lot in school. My fifth grader is learning algebra and geometry, which is fine now but I'm a little leery of the math lessons he'll have in high school -- at some point he's going to surpass my knowledge completely. So with all that reading, writing and arithmetic, why not learn good nutrition habits as well?Many schools are starting to restrict sugary and fatty snacks. And students' nutrition habits are modestly improving as a result. Over 10,000 fifth graders at schools with restricted snacks were surveyed and they reported a three percent increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.
As a parent, I strongly believe my child's nutrition habits are learned at home. But when good nutrition habits are modeled and supported at school as well, it's a win-win situation. Now if I could only convince my son's school to stop serving those molded chunks of who-knows-what they try to pass off as chicken nuggets.
