INFORMATION HANDOUT
HOW TO SNACK
SMARTER IN ISOLATION
More time at home, stress and a loss of regular routine can combine to increase grazing on handy but
unhealthy snacks. Here are some tips for managing – and reducing – impulsive eating when spending
more time than usual at home.
T he recent home isolation period
has highlighted just how easy it is
to fall into the constant snack trap
when largely housebound and in
constant proximity to the kitchen.
Doctoral Researcher at University College
London, Alex Ruani, says ‘We’re seeing many
people reporting boredom-eating during
the lockdown. But overeating is risky. Good
nutrition is needed more than ever, when our
immune system may need to fight back.’
The worst foods to snack on are those
which provide ‘empty calories’ – foods
that are micronutrient-poor and very low in
essential vitamins and minerals – usually
sugary and processed fatty foods like
cakes, biscuits, chips, milk chocolate, ice
cream and pastries.
Foods for better snacking
It’s preferable to give your digestive system
a rest between meals by not continually
ingesting small amounts of food, but if you
are going to snack between meals, some of
the better things to graze on are:
• Foods with a high-water content, which
makes them more filling as they delay
gastric emptying (e.g. fresh fruit like
grapes, apples, kiwi, melons; low-salt
broth soup; homemade ‘thicker’
smoothies; corn cobs; mixed salad bowl).
• Probiotic-rich foods which are shown to
have beneficial effects on the regulation
of hunger-suppressing hormones GLP-1
and PYY (e.g. fat-free yogurt, kefir,
cottage cheese or soft cheese; vegan
and lactose-free options are tempeh,
miso, sourdough bread, fermented
cabbage or pickles).
• Fibre-rich foods which are not only
physically filling but also help produce
hunger-suppressing short-chain fatty
acids like butyrate and propionate in the
gut (e.g. raw vegetable crudités, baby
carrots, cucumber slices with hummus
and porridge oat flakes).
• Protein-rich foods shown in countless
satiation experiments to reduce our
desire to continue eating (e.g. boiled
eggs, fat-free yogurt, fat-free cottage
cheese; vegan and lactose-free options
include tofu dices, beans mix, hemp
seeds, wholegrain rice cakes and dairyfree
coconut yogurt).
These snack options are also low-glycaemic,
so they cause a slow sugar release into your
bloodstream, which helps maintain energy
and focus, as opposed to making you feel
lethargic or sleepy in the middle of the day.
Tips to reduce unnecessary
snacking
For most of us, snacking between meals
is not necessary and is often done out of
boredom. It’s a good idea, therefore, to
actively try and reduce it.
• Make a plan. Be strategic about your
purchases and use your fresh foods and
those with a shorter shelf life first.
• Hydrate first. Sipping water instead of
sugary drinks is the simplest way to limit
unnecessary snacking and excess
calories. Research shows that drinking
water before each meal, ideally a couple
of 250ml glasses, results in fewer calories
consumed.
• Prioritise home-cooked meals. Main
meals are the most important. Snacking
is secondary and, in many cases,
unnecessary. Turn increased home-time
into an opportunity to experiment with
cooking nutritious meals and improve
your skills in the kitchen.
Heather Rosa, Dean of the Institute for
Optimum Nutrition, says that lockdown is
actually the ideal time to break the snacking
habit: ‘Our approach is to reduce and
eliminate snacking. To do this we would
focus on the main meals of the day, ensuring
they are nutrient-dense and low in sugar to
prevent the triggers for snacking. Ensure
protein at each meal along with some healthy
fats for satiety and fat-soluble vitamins A, E
and D. e.g. butter, cold-pressed extra virgin
oil, beef dripping, goose fat and coconut oil.
Plenty of colourful veggies and salad.
Most snack foods are an unholy mix of
sugar or refined carbohydrates and fats often
highly processed and damaged. This mix of
refined carbohydrates, fats and salt rarely
occur in nature. They trigger an addictive
type of behaviour, leaving you wanting more
and able to eat more, yet not feeling full. If it
is within reach (even at the top of the highest
cupboard) you will eventually eat it if bored!’
Sometimes the drive for a snack can be
derailed by a glass of water or hot beverage
(not hot chocolate!) Break the snacking
habit, your body will thank you!’
Alex Ruani & Heather Rosa
Alex is UCL Doctoral
Researcher and Chief
Science Educator at The
Health Sciences Academy.
Heather is Dean of the
Institute for Optimum
Nutrition. Alex and Heather’s
contribution to research into
eating habits during isolation
was commissioned by
flawless.org
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