A NEW STUDY REVEALS THAT 25% OF PEOPLE'S BAD SNACK CHOICES COMPROMISE HEALTHY EATING EFFORT.
AFTER 9 P.M. SNACKERS ARE MORE PRONE TO SELECT UNHEALTHY ITEMS.
One in four people do this, which can make a healthy diet useless if you choose the incorrect snacks.
In a recent study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, 854 participants who mainly consume nutritious meals were followed for their snacking patterns. It was discovered that 25% of them either eat excessive amounts of food or chose poor quality snacks, which undermines their efforts to eat healthily.
"We found that snack quality matters and is associated with favorable lipemic and insulinemic responses, as well as decreased hunger," write the study's authors.
According to popular belief, snacking "was not associated with unfavorable cardiometabolic blood or anthropometric markers."
Additionally, the study came to the conclusion that unhealthy snacks are linked to "higher body mass index, higher visceral fat mass, and higher postprandial - the time after eating a meal - triglycerides concentrations," all of which are linked to metabolic disorders like stroke, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
TIME FOR A SNACK
Candy, packaged savory snacks, and sugary drinks are all considered low quality snacks by the experts.
The study's authors claim that when you eat your snacks also matters. When compared to people who have snacks earlier in the day, individuals who nibble after 9 p.m. are more likely to select low-quality foods that are heavy in fat and sugar and have worse blood indicators, which might cause some metabolic difficulties.
The study does note that snacking is not always bad, though. Nutritious snacks exist that may "play roles in mediating hunger and appetite, glycaemic control and other cardiometabolic risk markers." These include whole, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
In comparison to both those who made bad snacking decisions and those who never snack, participants who regularly consumed good quality foods are more likely to have a healthy weight.
