Before even reading the article I immediately thought to myself, I’m guilty, I’m a snacker!

I didn’t know why I felt guilty, for the most part I snack because my stomach is telling me I’m hungry and I need food. On a day to day basis I usually eat 5-6 meals and my snacks come from healthy foods: fruit, veggies, nuts, yogurt, cheese, protein shakes, oatmeal, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely times when I mindfully snack while watching my favorite TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal.. I’m pretty sure Olivia Pope promotes snacking on Popcorn while watching the show, so clearly I need to follow her lead.

Now.. back to the article. One of the biggest takeaways for me was this quote:

“In the morning, we may weigh the value of nutrition but we’re much more motivated by convenience. Evening and late-night snacks reflect a desire for reward and indulgence. Morning and afternoon snacks are needed to provide energy, while energy is not a big factor in the evening (HFI 2012).”

I do agree that I use my morning and afternoon snacks for energy and because my body NEEDS food. I’m definitely guilty of sometimes eating a night time snack simply for pleasure but I would have to say that 90% of the time I’m truly hungry.

I also found this interesting statistic:

“Government surveys have estimated that 24% of the calories in adult Americans’ diets come from snacks. Relative to that average, snacks account for

• higher proportions of alcohol, carbohydrates and total sugars;
• similar proportions of vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium and magnesium; and
• lower proportions of most other nutrients.”

Most people tend to snack on “packaged & processed” snack foods. I totally understand this because ready to go snacks are convenient and don’t take any time to prepare, BUT those are the snacks that don’t supply you with natural energy and they usually have minimal nutrients.

I have learned to keep my days balanced with the right fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins, fats & fiber. The more balanced your meals and food choices are, the healthier you will feel & look!!

Are you guilty of snacking for no reason?

How many meals do you eat a day?