The Truth About Snacking
Did you learn that snacking throughout the day quickens your metabolism? I did!
As a teenager, I read that eating small meals or snacks throughout the day, as oppose to complete meals, can help keep me fit and thin because my body is in constant calorie burning mode. And when my body is burning fat and calories, I am losing weight. This habit followed me into adulthood and until about 2 years ago, it was something that I really thought was a good for me. But after learning about how the digestive system works, snacking is clearly counterproductive to how the body works. In fact, research studies are show that snacking has no effect on speeding up the metabolism or weight loss. But what studies have found is fasting in between meals (aka not snacking) can actually help you lose weight, improve your health, provide greater mental clarity, and lead to increased longevity.
So as you can see, snacking is not the most conducive way to eat. To better understand this, lets examine the digestive system a bit more.
The first thing to know is that the body requires time to process food, specifically anywhere from 4-6 hours. That means that if you eat something before your digestion is complete, you are basically interrupting and putting a wrench in the digestive process. This can lead to gas, bloating, indigestion, and constipation, as well as more longterm digestive issues.
The second thing to know is that everything your body does requires energy, including digesting food. So if you are constantly digesting because you are constantly eating, you are taking energy away from other areas. One of those areas is your immune system. That is why people who have digestive issues are more prone to infections and contracting illnesses because their immune system has been weakened. Instead of snacking, opt for 1-3 balanced meals a day that incorporates both augmenting and extractive foods as well as the 6 tastes, which are salty, sweet, spicy, bitter, astringent, and sour. Having the 6 tastes present in your meals gives you a feeling of fullness and satisfaction, preventing you from developing cravings for salty or sweet snacks. I, personally, tether between 2-3 meals on my usual days. When I’m feeling a bit backed up (aka constipated), I opt for 1 meal that day to give my body a digestive break.
The third thing to know is that our agni, which is our digestive fire that breaks down food, is strongest during the middle of the day. Therefore, that’s when it’s most ideal and needed to eat our biggest meal. I know this is contrary to current behaviors as many of us reserve our biggest meals for dinner. But dinner is actually not the time to have our biggest meal because shortly, we’ll be sleeping. And why would we need a lof of calories while we sleep? It just makes no sense. That type of meal is better eaten for lunch, because we actually need those calories to live out the rest of our day. So instead of a heavy meal at night, opt for a light dinner and try to eat as early in the evening as you can so you can have time before bed to process the food. This is what’s best to prep ourselves for sleep and nightly detox (that’s right, our body naturally detoxes at night and you make that detox process go a lot smoother by not stuffing yourself with food before bed).
I hope this helps you better understand how digestion works and why constantly snacking is not the ideal way to nourish yourself. It’s ok from time to time. But you can see why making it habit is not best for our digestive and overall health.
