What Happens If You Don't Eat in Between Meals?

What Happens If You Don't Eat in Between Meals?

Eating between meals, also called snacking, is a practice that has both advocates and critics among weight loss professionals and nutritional counselors. While it is obvious that eating between meals adds extra calories to your daily caloric intake, the benefits of supplying you body with a more constant flow of energy may actually help you to balance your insulin and blood sugar levels and help your metabolism to function optimally.

What Snacking Does for You

                        Eating between meals may help you with weight control, boost your mood and energy levels and even give you more nutrition throughout the day, according to CNNHealth. These benefits come from the fact that when your body has a constant supply of energy in the form of calories, your insulin and blood sugar levels remain stable and you avoid the energy depletion and subsequent blood sugar level drops that come with hunger.



What Happens If You Don't Snack

                   Those whose go for long periods of time without eating between meals may not only have
periods of low energy due to low blood sugar but may even put on unwanted weight and
adversely affect their health in other ways. According to a review published in 2007 by the
European Food Information Council, snacking and even nibbling between meals has been
linked to actual benefits in body weight control and cholesterol level maintenance. The review
stated that the effect of eating six times a day as opposed to two times resulted in a 10 to 20
percent reduction in the risk of heart disease.



What to Snack On

 What you eat between meals is actually of more importance than whether or not you snack at
all, according to both the CNNHealth article and the review by EUFIC. Starchy and sugary
foods can actually cause insulin and blood sugar spikes and subsequent energy and moods
level declines while nutritionally rich foods, like fruits, nuts and vegetables can provide
sustained energy and added daily nutrients.



Possible Adverse Effects of Eating Between Meals

 According to the review by EUFIC, frequent eating between meals is best suited for highly
active people who have large caloric intake needs, like athletes. Those that lead a sedentary
lifestyle risk consuming even more calories than they need and adversely affect body fat and
weight. The risk of eating with increased frequency on dental health is also a topic of
controversy, as it is known that acids in many foods contribute to tooth decay.



The guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggest:

•  For health benefits: Thirty minutes of moderate intensity exercise, five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous cardio, three days a week

•  For weight loss: Working up to 60-90 minutes of activity several days a week.

References

http://www.ehow.com/info_8338195_happens-dont-eat-between-meals.html

http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/a/Cardio-Workout-Program-For-Weight-Loss.htm