4 professional tips to stop snacking
Who has never given up on a cookie at 11 a.m., a chocolate snack at 4 p.m.? A naturopath gives us her advice to stop snacking, without getting discouraged.
Straight from the USA in the early 80's, snacks are an integral part of our Western culture. Instead of eating three healthy, healthy meals a day, we spend our day eating. The first victims are children.
Why is snacking bad for your health?
As naturopathic physician Robert Mason has said and repeated for decades, "snacks are one of the first huge inconveniences in the modern world". And it's not because it's been recommended for 10 years in every food-related ad, "Avoid snacking between meals for your health," these behaviors really changed. To permanently change your eating behavior, let's try to understand why snacking remains so bad for our health.
When we finish our meal, lunch for example, sensors in our mouth and in our stomach inform our brain of the chemical composition and weight of the food we eat. This very accurate data will allow him, thanks to the neuroendocrine system, to program the digestion of this meal. The slightest secretion of the enzyme, the exact moment when it is poured into the stomach or duodenum, the change in the pH of the stomach ... All stages of digestion will be determined to the smallest detail. From there, digestion will be able to begin and will last in the stomach between 4 and 6 hours (for a "normal" meal) and between 3 and 5 hours for children.
Now imagine that after an hour, we put in our stomach a piece of apple, chocolate or biscuit. This food, even in small quantities, will modify the biochemical nature of the food bolus: the programmed digestion will no longer correspond to this new situation. The brain will stop it for a few dozen minutes, the time needed to reprogram a new digestion process to match this new bolus of food.
Consequences: a temporary cessation of digestion will lead to fermentation and putrefaction, which are sources of proliferation of enterotoxins. Our energy will always be focused on the digestive system at the expense of other systems. consequences ? Decreased concentration, drowsiness, fatigue, weak immune system, increased risk of colds, ear infections, sinusitis, etc.
When this behavior is occasional and rare, there is no cause for concern. On the other hand, if it is part of our daily lifestyle, beware of harm!
Effective tips to stop snacking
1. Eat right so you don't feel hungry all the time. We feel hungry when our cells are hungry and our cells are hungry when they lack protein. We must provide a dose of highly absorbable protein by the body twice a day, that is, approximately 150 grams of meat, fish, seafood or eggs in each of the two meals. And if you are used to feeling hungry in the morning, add an egg in the morning to your breakfast. Be careful, our cells only need a specific amount of protein, neither too much nor too little. Avoid adding other protein sources to steak or fish (charcuterie, cheese, yogurt, etc.). Eating carbohydrates and fats properly is also important.
2 - prepare two balanced meals and breakfast; Do not forget about the duration of digestion.
3- If you are hungry in the afternoon, you can eat a fruit and even add a handful of oilseeds (almonds, hazelnuts...). But take it only on an empty stomach, that is, 4 to 6 hours after lunch and at least an hour and a half before dinner.
4 - Try not to give in to the multiple incentives that you have to face every day. It's not easy, but only keep those gaps when it's a moment of sharing, it's really socially important and worth treating!