Snacking is good, not bad

Snacking has always been misconstrued as eating “sinful” treats such as cookies, a bag of chips or a bar of chocolate to satisfy one’s mid-morning, mid-afternoon or late night hunger pangs.  But the truth is, snacking is an important part of one’s daily diet because mini-meals several times a day help manage hunger pangs and reduce bingeing.
It is when snacking on the wrong kinds of food or doing so excessively when one gain’s weight.

Nutritionists say eating  three main meals plus two nutritious snacks in the mid morning and mid afternoon is ideal to stay active throughout the day. Carefully planned snacking can be beneficial to one’s health, keeping your metabolism at an optimum and helping you stay focused on physical and mental activities throughout the day. Snacks provide energy, fiber and nutrients the body needs at that particular time of the day, and curbs the feeling of hunger right before a major meal, thus preventing you from eating too much. As a result, snacking may help train you to eat smaller portions and reduce caloric intake, especially if you need to watch your weight. 

 There are a lot of myths about snacking. One is that you can gain weight if you take rice meals as snacks. Contrary to what most people say, rice is a great snack food because it is loaded with carbohydrates needed for energy. It is  also an acid buster for those suffering from hyperacidity due to missed meals. A half cup is ideal while one cup should be eaten during main meals. The trick is to snack in moderation, choose the best snacks that are loaded in vitamins and minerals and are low calorie, and exercising particularly in the morning when you burn calories the most.