Why Do You Snack?

Why do you snack?

We live in a time where snacks are truly a culture, a modern one. We didn’t become a nation of snackers until the 1950’s, when food companies realized they could make a lot of money making new packaged food products. The snack industry is now HUGE. They generate 43+ billion dollars a year in the US alone. There’s literally aisles of snacks to choose from at the store. They are tasty seemingly irresistible products that are culturally the norm of buying and consuming regularly.

However, is it necessary? Is it healthy?

The only way to answer that is to understand why you snack.

• To solve physical hunger. It’s perfectly healthy to follow hunger signals and if you’re hungry you should probably eat, or should you? Yes, but consider these points first.

  • Are you eating balanced meals? Often, people are hungry between meals because they’re skipping meals, not eating enough or eating refined foods that create hormone imbalances that drive over-hunger. It might serve you more to create rhythm in eating patterns and aim for balanced meals before relying on snacks. Maybe a smoothie or a protein bar as a meal isn’t working for you? Eat something more substantial instead so you don’t have to have a snack later.

  • Take inventory. If it’s almost mealtime (you haven’t eaten in hours), consider eating a full meal instead of a snack. This can help create more natural rhythm in eating patterns and balance hormones like leptin and ghrelin. It’s OK to be a little hungry just before mealtime. If the times feel a little weird at first, that’s OK. Once your hormones balance your hunger signals will shift and you can shift times as desired.

• To solve emotions. The truth is that most snacking is emotional eating.

  • Emotional eating means you are not physically hungry and this food or snack is desired because it will make you feel better or different. It doesn’t have to always be eating big feelings like that pint of ice cream after something bad happens but it can be. Snacks are fast and easy ways to feel better or to be entertained for a short amount of time.

  • Sometimes people eat because they don’t want other people to feel bad. That’s when someone offers you food that you don’t really even want but you think if you say no they will feel bad so you eat it anyway. That’s people-pleasing and we don’t recommend it if that means sacrificing boundaries or health.

  • In some cases, having a snack is part of an actual celebration, like cake on your birthday…and the next morning…and the next.

  • There’s ALL kinds of reasons to eat food for pleasure. We don’t have to judge this because we all do it, we’re human. However, eating your emotions consistently and mindlessly may not be serving you as a whole.

Reducing my snack habits has been only beneficial. I encourage clients to consider the role snacking plays in their life and to decide if it is beneficial for them. It’s important to question patterns and behaviors especially if they are creating undesired results. Don’t rely on what other people, including me, tell you. Definitely don’t rely on food companies who are trying to sell you their products. Explore and decide for yourself what works and what creates the results you want for good.

We help clients build their own lifestyle that works.

If you’re interested in learning more please book a discovery call with us!