Eating snacks at this time is actually helpful for controlling blood sugar?

Whether they are relaxing or busy at work, many friends like to eat snacks to pass the time or relieve anxiety.

Snacks have become an indispensable part of many people's daily lives. Many people think that snacks are junk food, and that consuming too much can lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease and other problems. In fact, you may not know enough about snacks. Choosing the right category, controlling the intake and eating at the right time will not only not cause health risks to the body, but may also be beneficial to health.

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Snacks ≠ junk food

Whole grains and vegetables can be snacks

When it comes to snacks, many people think of deep-processed packaged foods such as potato chips, cola, and plums. However, many people may have misunderstandings about the definition and cognition of snacks.

According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents": Snacks refer to food or drinks consumed outside of meal times. Any food contains a certain amount of energy and nutrients. When physical activity increases or the intake of the previous meal is insufficient, snacks can be used as a nutritional supplement in addition to three meals a day.

In other words, snacks are foods eaten outside of the three meals a day. It has to do with time, not type.

There are many kinds of snacks, ranging from fruits, raw vegetables, nuts to biscuits, candies, and even rice and steamed buns. From 2000 to 2018, the proportion of snack consumption among adults in my country increased significantly, from 10.4% to 52.1%.

However, the choice and eating habits of snacks are directly related to our health. Unreasonable snack selection and eating habits may lead to health problems such as unbalanced nutrition, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, how to eat snacks to benefit health is knowledge that everyone needs to know.

Eat healthy snacks

Seize the opportunity and choose the right type

1

What to eat?

In 2018, a study titled "Global Snacking Recommendations: A Scoping Review" published in the journal Advances in Nutrition found that 49 countries and seven regional or global organizations mentioned snacking, snack foods or snacking in a search of 207 countries and organizations.

Although snack recommendations in different countries have different focuses and some differences, overall, when choosing snacks, fresh and whole foods are recommended , and high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat foods should be avoided as much as possible.

When choosing snacks, it is best to choose something different from the three meals, such as fruits, nuts, and milk, which can complement each other's nutrition.

2

How much to eat?

Excessive snacking can lead to excess energy intake, which can cause weight gain. If you eat too much, it may also affect the nutrition and variety of foods in your main meals.

The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that snack intake should not exceed 15% of total daily energy .

What does this mean? For example, a woman working in an office needs 1800kcal of calories a day, of which snacks cannot exceed 270kcal. This is equivalent to 2 boxes of 250mL full-fat pure milk or 2 bags of daily nuts. If you are greedy and want to eat deeply processed packaged foods, it will be even less. A snack of 15% calories may be a crispy chocolate ice cream or a bag of spicy strips.

From this perspective, the amount of snacks is not that large, so even if you eat snacks, you have to control your mouth. The amount of snacks should not affect the main meal, and should not replace the main meal.

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3

When to eat?

Eating snacks at different times will achieve different effects.

Eating before meals can increase satiety and reduce the intake of meals; eating after meals may cause blood sugar to rise, which is not good for health. Therefore, if you want to eat snacks, eat them at least 1 to 2 hours after a meal. The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends eating snacks between meals .

Some studies have provided more detailed recommendations on the timing and types of snacking.

1) Eating high-fiber snacks between meals in the afternoon helps control blood sugar

There is a study from Waseda University in Japan, which conducted a crossover experiment on healthy elderly people with an average age of 77. For a week, some people ate ordinary biscuits between lunch and dinner, while others ate high-fiber biscuits. After comparison, it was found that eating snacks with high dietary fiber content between lunch and dinner led to lower postprandial blood sugar response levels after dinner and after breakfast the next day.

Image source: Effect of the Intake of a Snack Containing Dietary Fiber on Postprandial Glucose Levels

However, it should be noted that there is not much experimental data in this study, so the conclusion that "eating high-fiber snacks between meals in the afternoon is beneficial for controlling blood sugar" needs further verification.

2) Don’t eat snacks after 9pm

A 2022 study published in Cell Metabolism examined the snacking habits of more than 1,000 people to determine how snacking affects health and whether the quality, quantity, frequency, or timing of snacking had an impact.

Studies have found that eating after 9 p.m. increases daytime hunger, reduces daytime energy expenditure, and ultimately increases the risk of obesity. In addition, people who snack late at night have worse blood sugar and triglyceride levels than those who snack during the day.

How to choose healthy snacks?

Please accept this red and black list

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the United States particularly emphasized the importance of snacks to health in its "Adult Health Tips", calling on the public to carry healthy snacks with them. So what snacks should we eat to have a positive effect on our health?

The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends: Choose foods with high nutrient density , such as eggs, milk, soy products, etc. You can also choose fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts; choose less fried or puffed foods.

Most recommended: Whole foods that are low in sugar, sodium, and minimally processed

Healthy snacks can help fight hunger and prevent overeating at home, at work or on the go. Choose snacks that are low in sugar, salt and fat, preferably whole foods such as baby carrots, fresh fruit or unsweetened plain yogurt, rather than packaged or processed foods such as chips, cakes or biscuits.

Here we have sorted out the recommended healthy snacks for your reference when making choices.

Eat less: Foods high in sugar, salt, and fat (saturated and trans)

Whether it is food that is high in sugar, salt or fat (especially food that contains more saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids), long-term consumption will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Here we have sorted out the snacks that need to be restricted, and it is recommended not to eat them or eat them in small amounts.

Beware: This food that is considered healthy - juice

Stop using juice as a substitute for fruit.

Juice contains a high amount of sugar. Excessive intake not only leads to weight gain and cardiometabolic risks, but also increases the risk of cancer (especially breast cancer). A research paper published in the top international medical journal BMJ in 2019: Drinking 100ml of sugary drinks (including juice) per day increases the risk of cancer by 18%, including a 23% increase in the risk of breast cancer.

References

[1]NIDDK.Health Tips for Adults

.https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/healthy-eating-physical-activity-for-life/health-tips-for-adults

[2]Monika Potter, Antonis Vlassopoulos, Undine Lehmann,Snacking Recommendations Worldwide: A Scoping Review,Advances in Nutrition,Volume 9, Issue 2,2018,Pages 86-98,ISSN 2161-8313,https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmx003.

[3]Njike VY, Smith TM, Shuval O, Shuval K, Edshteyn I, Kalantari V, Yaroch AL. Snack Food, Satiety, and Weight. Adv Nutr. 2016 Sep 15;7(5):866-78. doi: 10.3945/an.115.009340. PMID: 27633103; PMCID: PMC5015032.

[4]Vujović N, Piron MJ, Qian J, et al. Late isocaloric eating increases hunger, decreases energy expenditure, and modifies metabolic pathways in adults with overweight and obesity. Cell Metab. 2022;34(10):1486-1498.e7. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2022.09.007

[6]Chazelas E, Srour B, Desmetz E, et al. Sugary drink consumption and risk of cancer: results from NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort[J]. BMJ. 2019 Jul 10;366:l2408. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2408. PMID: 31292122; PMCID: PMC6614796.

[7]Debras C, Chazelas E, Srour B, Druesne-Pecollo N, Esseddik Y, Szabo de Edelenyi F, Aga? sse C, De Sa A, Lutchia R, Gigandet S, Huybrechts I, Julia C, Kesse-Guyot E, Allès B, Andreeva VA, Galan P, Hercberg S, Deschasaux-Tanguy M, Touvier M. Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study. PLoS Med. 2022 Mar 24;19(3):e1003950. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003950. PMID: 35324894; PMCID: PMC8946744.

[8] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022 Edition).

Planning and production

Author: Li Chun, a registered nutritionist in China

Review丨Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert

Planning丨Zhong Yanping

Editor: Zhong Yanping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin

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