Feed the Need: Surviving the Snack Attack

Diet & Fitness: Nutrition: Guilt-Free Snacking

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It's 10 p.m. Do you know what you will snack on? A low-calorie snack like a small orange or celery sticks and fat-free dip are healthy ways to hit the spot. But should you snack? You certainly can. However, anyone who has ever been on a diet has been told not to snack after 7 p.m. (or some other magical cutoff time). Some also believe that snacking alone causes weight gain. But how true is this?

Snacking alone is not a problem. It is not when you eat but your overall intake that matters most. In fact, spacing your meals three to four hours apart can help regulate your blood sugars and keep you from overeating throughout the day. So that urge to have a snack can fit nicely into a healthy eating routine.

Here's why: Do you know that lighted-headed, ravenous feeling you get when you wait too long to eat? That's your body's way of saying, "I need fuel." And by the time that you get a bite, you eat too much, too fast. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes from the first bite for your digestive system to communicate with your brain that you've eaten. By this time, you have probably eaten 200 to 400 calories more than you need.

How can you moderate your snacking urges? Ask yourself why you're snacking. If you are like most folks, there are probably four main reasons that you get the munchies:

"I didn't have time for breakfast/lunch/dinner." In the hustle and bustle of life, many people do not make time for meals. Some also choose to skip one or two meals per day to reduce their calorie and fat intake. The fact is that oftentimes, you probably consume more calories when you skip meals. Keep easy-to-eat foods like yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit, and reduced-fat cheese and crackers handy so that you can give your body the fuel it needs to make it to the next meal.

"I was so nervous that I couldn't stop eating." Emotional eating is another reason that you might find yourself piling on extra calories. As an emotional eater, you probably go for salty and sweet snacks when under duress. Try a change of pace by getting outside—take a walk, repot your plants, tend your garden or simply sit in silence and breathe deeply for a few minutes. When you go back inside, grab a glass of low-fat chocolate milk and a handful of pretzels to satisfy your yearning for salt and sugar.

"I couldn't help myself … the snack tray seduced me!" Sometimes you eat when you are not hungry simply because food is available. At work, it may be the bagel tray that sits in the common area until it disappears. At home, it may be the cookies that beckon from the counter. Record how many times each day during a week that you ate simply because food was in sight—you'll be amazed. Estimate that each tick mark is worth at least 150 calories. Cut back a roll or 2 ounces of meat at each meal to allow for unexpected snacking. Keep chips, regular soft drinks and candy hidden, and put oranges, kiwi, bananas and apples in clear sight.

"I needed something to do with my hands." Boredom is another reason that you might find yourself munching mindlessly. Sip water and nibble on a minibag of fat-free popcorn while watching television or surfing the Net. Busy your hands by chopping vegetables and dipping the crunchy snacks in fat-free dips or salsa.

To summarize, a nutrient-dense, low-calorie snack after dark will not push you over the caloric edge. But you have to make sure that the other foods that you are eating during the day offer a variety of nutrients that meet your unique energy needs.

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Keecha Harris is President of Harris and Associates, a food systems and public health consulting firm based in Birmingham, Ala. (Read her full bio.)