Health benefits come from eating during the daytime, demonstrating a potential link to energy release.
Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered the mechanism behind why eating late at night is linked to weight gain and diabetes.
The connection between eating time, sleep and obesity is well-known but poorly understood, with research showing that overnutrition can disrupt circadian rhythms and change fat tissue.
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I confess: I am a snacker. When I had my weight problem: weight over 220 pounds and 44 inch waist, snacking was one of the reasons. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter agrees.
People in the U.S. are snacking more than ever before. According to a 2019 survey, 59 percent of adults worldwide prefer snacking to eating regular meals, and that figure jumps to 70 percent for young people. We have a lot of misconceptions about this increasingly common activity that can have an outsized impact on our health. Let’s take a look at five common myths:
Snacking in and of itself is neither healthy nor unhealthy. A snack is, technically, any food eaten between meals. Unhealthy foods are clearly…well…unhealthy, but even healthy foods can cause unhealthy weight gain if they lead to excess calorie intake. If you are hungry between meals, choose low calorie foods, so you don’t end up eating more calories than your body needs in a day. The fact is, very few well-designed studies have looked at the impact of eating frequency on health, so we have little evidence to support either health benefits or detriments to snacking versus sticking to three meals per day.
Although trends indicate people are looking for healthier snack options, much of what they are getting is junk food in misleading packaging. Market research shows a rising demand for organic and plant-based foods, and products without additives. Organic potato chips, rice crackers, and even some cookies and candy bars meet all three of those criteria, but they are not necessarily good choices. Refined grains (like white flour and rice flour), added sugars (including concentrated fruit juice, honey, agave nectar, and “raw” sugar), and saturated fats (including butter and coconut oil) are associated with health problems even if they are organic, “natural,” vegan, gluten-free, or any other “health-halo” label food manufacturers put on the package.
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I am a big fan of popcorn. It is a great snack that can be prepared in a healthy way. I avoid microwave popcorn like the plague.
I recommend buying regular popcorn and popping it in coconut oil with a simple salt flavoring. There are a number of flavored salts available which I don’t use, but aren’t harmful to you like what you get from a microwave.
Wikipedia says, “Corn was first domesticated 9,000 years ago in what is now Mexico.[3]Archaeologists discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years. In Mexico, for example, remnants of popcorn have been found that date to around 3600 BC.[4]
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Filed under healthy snacking, National Popcorn Day, popcorn, Snacking
I am resending this on the blog as my Christmas present to you. My girlfriend gave me a Yoda hoodie for Christmas with the quote – “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”
Those were Yoda’s words to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke was stuck, unsuccessful and becoming frustrated with his failure. Luke precipitated that fabulous quote when he said, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
I always liked Yoda’s words. There seemed to be a deep meaning to them. How can you do something without trying? I never quite got what it was, but I always sensed there was a profound meaning in there some place. I don’t know how many years ago I heard that quote. It was in a movie theater when that particular installment of the Star Wars Trilogy was showing. Surely more than 10 years have gone by, maybe 20. Anyway, I finally got it.
I was riding my bicycle yesterday afternoon and just kind of playing with the idea of trying. What does it mean to try? That happens a lot when I am riding. I have told people that riding is my meditation. It just happens to burn calories. I don’t ride the bike for that, though. I do it because I love riding. Everything else is just gravy.
That’s how I finally got Yoda’s message.
Continue reading
Filed under biking, Weight, weight loss, Yoda
A new Penn State study has found that dried fruit may be connected with better health.
The researchers learned that people who ate dried fruit were generally healthier than those who did not, and on days when people ate dried fruit they consumed greater amounts of some key nutrients than on days when they skipped. However, they also found that people consumed more total calories on days when they ate dried fruit.
Valerie Sullivan, postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Penn State grad student at the time of the study, said the findings suggest that dried fruit can be part of a healthy diet — with some caveats.
“Dried fruit can be a great choice for a nutritious snack, but consumers might want to be sure they’re choosing unsweetened versions without added sugar,” Sullivan said. “Portion sizes can also be tricky, because a serving of dried fruit is smaller than a serving of fresh since the water has been taken out. But the positive is that dried fruit can help people potentially consume more fruit because it’s portable, it’s shelf-stable, and can even be cheaper.”
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If you are on the lookout for healthy snacks that you can munch on instead of potato chips, chocolate or other not-so-nutritious foods, check out cherries.
Recently, a guy I know bought cherries to satisfy that need without consuming a lot of empty calories. He ended up demonstrating that even natural healthy snacks have their limits. You need to use your brain when snacking and don’t overdo it, no matter whether it’s Cheetos or cherries.
Twice in recent weeks, this guy ate about a pound of cherries at one sitting. Eating that quantity of food at one sitting is just not smart any way you look at it, even a good healthy natural food like cherries.
Searching online for information about the problems he was having, he learned that everyone should limit their intake of cherries at one sitting to a cup at most.
As I say so often on…
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Snacking is kind of like the weather, everyone talks about it, but nobody does anything about it. Well, about over-snacking anyway. Seems like some of us just can’t pass up a sweet or tasty tidbit.
Anyone who works in an office knows the spot: The place where co-workers share sweet treats they brought from home, or leftovers from lunch meetings and birthday celebrations. Food appears out of the blue, and disappears just as quickly.
Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com
But why can some people walk right by the free snacks without stopping, or only go there when they’re hungry, while others can’t resist eating every time they see food there? Some may even go out of their way to pass the food-sharing spot just in case there’s something out.
Neuroscientists like Shelly Flagel, Ph.D. want to find out — and not just because of the long-term harmful effects of too many calories. The same variation between people can happen with drugs like cocaine and heroin. Continue reading
Filed under calories, junk food calories, Snacking, stealth calories, sweet or savory, sweets
I have written about quitting smoking and the damage smoking does for several years. You can go to my Page – How many ways does smoking harm you ?to read further on it. To be honest I have a hard time understanding how anyone who is able to read can still be a smoker, but, clearly, there are still millions of them/you. The following tips are from Rush University Medical Center.
There is no arguing about the glamor of smoking.
When you’re ready to quit, these strategies can help:
Quitting smoking for good can be a challenge, but your health and lifestyle will reap the rewards:
Filed under quitting smoking, smoking, Smoking dangers, Snacking, Uncategorized
I grew up in a family of ‘snackers.’ As a result I suffered from weight problems much of my life. Exercise is important, but you can dig your own grave with your knife and fork. You need to pay attention to the quality of your calories as well as the quantity.
Herewith a rundown on noshing on nuts for healthy and nutritious snacks in reasonable quantities.
If you don’t want to be confined to nuts, please check out my Page – Snacking – The good, the bad and the ugly for lots more snack ideas.
Tony
Filed under nuts, snack foods, Snacking, tree nuts, walnuts
Nighttime snacking and junk food cravings may contribute to unhealthy eating behaviors and represent a potential link between poor sleep and obesity, according to the University of Arizona Health Sciences.
Nighttime snacking and junk food cravings may contribute to unhealthy eating behaviors and represent a potential link between poor sleep and obesity, a study by University of Arizona Health Sciences sleep researchers stated.
Photo by bruce mars on Pexels.com
The study was conducted via a nationwide, phone-based survey of 3,105 adults from 23 U.S. metropolitan areas. Participants were asked if they regularly consumed a nighttime snack and whether lack of sleep led them to crave junk food. They also were asked about their sleep quality and existing health problems. Continue reading
Filed under circadian cycles, diabetes, good night's sleep, junk food, obesity, sleep, sleep deprivation, Snacking
As a person who has had a weight problem for much of his adult life, food choices loom large on my radar. I love snacking, pizza, cheeseburgers, you name the junk food, I likely love it. However, I weigh in the mid 150 pound area and have done so for the past seven years. What has worked for me is clearly thinking about what the food means to me in terms of my health. Not focusing on how good it is going to taste and how much I have always loved that flavor. I tie my action to its likely consequences. The clear goal of eating healthy has been my solution. These researchers have some interesting ideas to add to the discussion.
Everyone knows that an apple per day is a more healthful option than a donut and yet, given the choice, many people would still choose the donut. A new study has revealed that food choices could be down to the associations that we make with food-related stimuli.
Researchers explain why the urge to eat a donut is mightier than the urge to eat an apple — even though the apple is the more healthful option.
Aukje Verhoeven, Sanne de Wit, and Poppy Watson, all psychologists at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, conducted the research.
Their findings were published in the journal Appetite.
The consumption of unhealthful foods is on the rise around the world, which is contributing to the more than 1.9 billion adults who are overweight globally.
Among children in the United States, more than 27 percent of calories each day come from snacks, including salted snacks, candy, desserts, and sweetened beverages. This could have hazardous consequences for their health.
Government initiatives have focused on making people more aware of the adverse effects of eating unhealthfully. However, most people fail to adhere to the recommended food guidelines, and eating behaviors often remain unchanged.
Though it is not clear why informational interventions do not work, evidence suggests that food-related stimuli in the environment may play a role in triggering unhealthful eating habits.
“Health warnings often make people want to choose healthier food products, yet many still end up picking unhealthy food products,” explains Verhoeven. “We suspected this might partly be due to the fact that people learn to associate specific cues in their environment with certain food choices.”
For example, seeing a large “M” sign in the environment has been linked to reward, such as eating a cheeseburger, which then prompts a craving and could trigger a trip to the restaurant for a burger. Continue reading
I have written about snacks and snacking numerous times. You can check out my Page Snacking – the good, the bad and the ugly if you want more details. Herewith The Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter take on the subject.
Make sure you’re properly fueled for a workout, but avoid mindless snacking.
If you start exercise low on fuel, you could end up feeling weak and run out of steam. Or, you may simply feel hungry, making it hard to focus on your exercise. However, unnecessary snacking before a workout may make exercise uncomfortable and add calories you don’t need, counteracting the calorie burn of your physical activity.
What you’re already eating for meals and snacks likely covers your exercise energy needs.
“I think there’s a misconception that you need to eat a snack before exercise, but this is generally only necessary if it’s been at least 2 to 3 hours since your last meal,” says Jennifer Sacheck, PhD, an associate professor at Tufts’ Friedman School who specializes in physical activity research. “For example, if you eat lunch at 11 a.m. and are going to the gym at 5 p.m., or you exercise first thing in the morning, you’ll need to refuel before exercise.” However, if you ate a late lunch at 2 p.m., and you’re working out at 4:30 p.m., you shouldn’t need a snack first. Continue reading
Filed under cardio exercise, Exercise, exercise benefits, snack foods, Snacking
Okay, nobody is saying that working in an office is as dangerous as doing construction or working in a mine, but health hazards exist in offices, too. It’s easy to grow complacent about it.
Desk jobs can pose dangers to your health. Rush family medicine physician Gabriela Baeza, MD, recently discussed some of the most common hazards — and how to avoid them.
Chairs
A growing body of research suggests that simply sitting too much can endanger your health — regardless of whether you get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week.
Researchers have found that too much sitting might make you less sensitive to insulin (a hormone that helps your body process and use energy from food). It also might lead to higher levels of triglycerides, or fats, in your blood. Such effects could, in turn, make you more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease or even cancer. Continue reading
If, like many folks, you overindulged during the recent holidays, perhaps this item I wrote back when the blog was still in diapers might be of help.
Besides, I think the brain is amazing and we can’t know too much about it.
Tony
Regular readers know that I am retired and have been taking courses from The Great Courses for some time. Lately, I have become fascinated with the brain and how it functions.
The latest class I am studying is “The Neuroscience of Everyday Life” taught by Sam Wang, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Neuroscience at Princeton University. Additionally, Professor Wang is the co-author of the best-selling book Welcome to Your Brain which has been translated into 20 languages.
Here is the best-selling book Professor Wang co-wrote
I have only just begun reading the book, but I ran across a passage on page 36 that I thought would interest and benefit readers of the blog. The following is from a two-page write-up titled Tricking Your Brain Into Helping You Lose Weight.
This is the conclusion of those two pages:
“Early food exposure influences dietary preferences in adulthood, and eating habits…
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Filed under brain, brain function, Exercise, exercise and brain health, overweight, Snacking, Weight, weight control, weight loss
I think it is always a good idea to have a game plan. Hopefully, this will help you to enjoy your holiday eating more. This is a reblog from a previous holiday season, but I think the ideas are still worth reading.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tony
Eat less; move more; live longer. Those words are the mantra of this blog. I realize that they are also easier said than done especially at this time of year – holiday season.
We seem to be hard-wired to celebrate by eating. Maybe it goes back to the time we had to hunt for our food. When we managed to kill something edible that was reason for celebration and we did. We ate our fill because we didn’t know when our next meal would be. But, times have changed and a trip to a supermarket is enough to feed an entire family for a week. So there is no need to eat till we are bursting at any single meal or event.
The holidays are a particularly trying time. There are various family celebrations along with parties at friends and neighbors. Each is a special form of temptation…
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Filed under holiday eating
Because low fat diets were the rage for a while, people have become confused about the value and necessity of including fats in their diets. I love coconut oil, a saturated fat. I eat it every day and have a Page of information – Coconut Oil – Why you should include it in your diet on it.
Until recently, when you visited the dairy aisle, chances are you headed straight for the blue carton of milk—the skim milk that is. But recent buzz about dairy fat may cause shoppers to pause in front of the oft-shunned red carton of whole milk or other full-fat dairy products, as research suggests that their relationship to heart health is more complex than was once believed. While most studies to date have focused on the association between dairy fat and cardiovascular risk factors, few have examined the relationship to actual onset of cardiovascular disease.
Filed under cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular health, Fats, healthy fats, saturated fats
Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger 