Scientists have explained the role of snacking in the diet
Snacking between main meals is usually associated primarily with chips, cookies and chocolate. However, a study of the eating habits of Dutch residents has shown that eating between breakfast, lunch and dinner is not always unhealthy. What really influences the choice of a snack and why the same product may have different meanings depending on the situation is described in the Izvestia article.
Snacking doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy food.
Specialist Marielle de Waal, who studied the eating habits of 264 Dutch residents, came to the conclusion that snacking is not always harmful. The study was conducted over the course of a year, and the participants themselves belonged to the millennial generation. Their diet was monitored using a mobile app in which they recorded everything they ate and drank during the day. The results are published in the journal Medical Xpress.
At the same time, the participants were asked not just to list the products. Each case of eating or drinking needed to be further classified. For example, a person could indicate that it was breakfast, lunch, a meal between main meals, or a substitute for a full meal. This approach allowed the researcher to look not only at the composition of the diet, but also at how people themselves perceive different episodes of nutrition.
It turned out that the participants had an average snack between main meals four to five times a day. At first glance, this frequency may seem high, but in itself it does not say anything about the quality of the diet. A significant portion of the foods that people chose during the day corresponded to the recommendations of the Dutch healthy eating guide, the so—called wheel of five.
According to the results of the study, 64% of the foods that the participants consumed between main meals met these recommendations. Among them were fruits, cucumbers, bread, yogurt and black coffee. Thus, the snacking in this study was not limited to sweets or other foods that are usually considered unhealthy.
The authors draw attention to this difference.: The very fact that a person eats something between main meals does not mean that his diet cannot be considered healthy. A snack may consist of foods that fit into the general dietary recommendations and can be part of a regular diet.
The same product can be a different snack.
The study showed that the value of food is determined not only by what exactly is on the plate. A big role is played by the situation in which a person eats. The researcher came to the conclusion that the same product can be perceived in completely different ways depending on the place, time and circumstances.
The participants gave a cucumber as an example. If a person ate it in the morning at work so as not to feel hungry before lunch, such a meal could be perceived as eating "between" main meals. But the same cucumber, eaten in the evening during a meeting with friends, could already be perceived as an ordinary snack. There was a similar story with coffee. A cup of black coffee at work could have practical significance for a person: he could perceive it as a way to get extra energy during the working day. However, on the terrace with friends, the same coffee could no longer be perceived as a functional meal, but as a small pleasure or part of a joint vacation.
According to de Waal, such examples show why it is not enough to consider snacks only through the prism of the product. A person can eat or drink between main meals not only because they are hungry or thirsty. The reason may be habit, convenience, a desire to gain energy, a desire to relax, concern for health, or social interaction. Moreover, these motives are not permanent.
Marielle de Waal
The same person can eat something in the morning to gain energy, and choose something similar in the evening because it is related to communication or because he wants something delicious.
Behavior is also influenced by the environment. Research shows that a person can have a snack in different ways in the office and at home, for example, sitting on the couch. It turns out that eating habits are formed not only by individual preferences, but also by the specific context in which the meal takes place.
The line between a snack and a full meal is becoming blurred
The results of the study are related to a broader trend called snackification. We are talking about a situation where the usual structure of nutrition is gradually changing, and people distribute food and drinks into more small meals throughout the day.
Marielle de Waal
We are witnessing a global trend known as "snacking." The boundaries between snacks and main meals are blurred: snacks can replace main meals, while foods that we traditionally consider part of a meal, such as a sandwich, sometimes serve as a snack.
The researcher gives a sandwich as an example. Traditionally, it could be considered as part of a full meal. However, if a person eats it between other meals, it becomes a snack for them. Therefore, it is not always possible to determine whether a particular meal is a meal or a snack based solely on the product itself.
The study participants could also use several small meals instead of one full meal. As a result, food was distributed throughout the day, and the boundary between main meals and snacks became less noticeable. That is why de Waal suggests considering snacking more as a continuous process in which several factors interact simultaneously: the food or drink itself, circumstances, a person's motive and what importance they attach to a particular meal.
This approach changes the way we look at snacking. They may not just be an extra meal between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner. Depending on the circumstances, it can be a familiar ritual, an opportunity to relax, a way to spend time with other people, or just a convenient way to distribute meals throughout the day.
How can this change the dietary guidelines?
According to the researcher, the results of the work are important not only for understanding everyday eating habits. They can also affect how dietary recommendations are formulated. If you just urge people to give up snacking, you can ignore the reasons why a person eats between main meals and the content of the snack itself.
De Waal suggests paying more attention to the specific situation. If a person wants to change their diet, it may be more useful for them to understand their own habits than to completely eliminate all snacking. It is important to understand which foods he chooses, when this happens, and what exactly motivates him to eat. For example, a person who wants to reduce the amount of sugar in their diet, according to the researcher, may find it more useful to find an alternative to a specific sweet that they regularly eat in the afternoon. This approach differs from the general advice to simply give up snacking.
The study also suggests looking at nutrition from the perspective of personal needs. If one snack is associated with hunger, another may be associated with the need to get energy, the third with rest, and the fourth with communication. Therefore, the same rules don't necessarily work equally well for different situations. For the person himself, this means that the first step may be to observe his own behavior. Understanding why you want to eat or drink something allows you to better understand your own habits and decide whether they really need to be changed.
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