Table of contents:
- Our bodies also need snacks
- What kind of snacking causes obesity?
- 1. Types of snacks
- 2. What is done while snacking
Snacking is an activity that is very liked by most people. Snacking can make us better in any situation, somehow it can happen. A variety of snacks are available, from healthy snacks to unhealthy ones, such as empty calorie snacks that contain lots of fat. However, there are still many people who prefer this unhealthy snack. Yes, it tastes really good to be enjoyed.
Various snacks can accompany us in doing activities, especially activities that spend time in front of a screen, such as watching TV, playing video games, working at a computer, and so on. To the extent that you may not realize that this snacking habit has made you fat.
Our bodies also need snacks
Maybe not all snacking habits can make you gain weight which leads to obesity. It all depends on your snacking habits, whether you are used to snacking with healthy snacks or not, according to expert explanations at The Institute of Food Technologists 2011 Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans, reported by MedicineNet.
Basically, snacking or eating snacks is needed to complement the body's nutritional needs. According to Richard D. Mattes, PhD, a professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., Snacking is not about healthy or unhealthy snacks, but more about what you eat and how these foods can meet your nutritional needs. Snacking habits that contain lots of calories and are not balanced with eating less food at a later time or increasing physical activity can lead to weight gain.
So, snacking should not be avoided, in fact it is actually needed to meet the body's needs. Only thing to pay attention to is the size and type of snack. Many nutritionists recommend eating healthy snacks in between large, small meals, so that your body is energized throughout the day.
What kind of snacking causes obesity?
Snacking can lead to obesity if what you eat exceeds your body's needs for a long period of time.
1. Types of snacks
Most people prefer snacking on foods or soft drinks that are high in calories, accounting for nearly a quarter of individual calorie needs. In Indonesia itself, it has become a habit for people to eat fried foods that contain flour and high fat from oil, and contain empty calories. In fact, this has become a culture, where every time there is an activity, for example a meeting, guests are treated to a snack, said Grace Judio-Kahl, a physiologist and lifestyle observer, as quoted from health.kompas.com.
So, it is not surprising that these unhealthy snacking habits can cause you to gain weight and even be overweight.
2. What is done while snacking
In addition, one more thing you should avoid when snacking is doing it while watching television. Many studies have shown that there is a link between snacking in front of the television with weight gain or obesity.
Research by Pearson in 2011 showed that eating while watching tv can lead to individuals making poor eating choices and overeating. Adolescents who watch tv for more than 2 hours a day consume more high-calorie snacks, such as chips and sodas, and consume less low-calorie snacks, such as fruit and water, compared to teens who watch less television. As a result, adolescents who watched more tv had an additional 106 calories than adolescents who watched less tv.
People who like to watch TV tend to be distracted when they eat so that they are not aware of how much food they have consumed, causing them to overeat. Increased food consumption can also be caused by you eating without thinking, which occurs when external food cues, such as pictures and sounds while you are watching TV, mask your inner eating cues (the true feeling of hunger and satiety). So, when watching TV, you don't recognize the true feelings of hunger and fullness, you don't realize how much food you have eaten.
As in a study by the University of Birmingham conducted to look at how attention and memory affect food intake, it concluded that being distracted by eating or not paying attention to what food is being eaten can make people eat more, and paying attention while eating is associated with eating less in others. time.
When you are not aware of what happened to your mouth, your brain also doesn't process that information, so you don't remember when you ate. This causes you to eat again and again, as a result you will gain weight and become overweight.
So, it's best to focus your attention while eating, avoid eating while doing other activities, so that you realize when your body feels full and also realize what and how much food you have eaten.
