Published 17:27 IST, November 14th 2019
Snacking: Why is it important to have healthy snacks in the evening?
Snacking is smart choice of food between meals and healthy. Here is why it is important to have healthy snacks in the evening so that you don't binge eat later.
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Snacking is now considered to be as important as your meals. It is often advised that the meal intake should be reduced if needed, but snacking should be done in between meals. A wholesome and nutritious evening snack has now become a necessity. The snack can help you have a sound sleep and is an effective way to fit in extra nutrients in your diet. Read more about why healthy evening snacking is important.
Why is healthy evening snacking important?
Healthy evening snacking is a smart choice. It helps to reduce blood sugar levels and can also fight off extreme fatigue one faces as the day ends. Avoiding pangs of hunger during the evening will push one to pick unhealthy choices for dinner and one may end up eating more junk food than planned.
Having frequent meals is important to maintain weight and overall health. All the meals are important and no meal can surpass the vitality of another meal. But once you decide to start the evening snacking, it is important that you have a fixed time for it. Also, make sure that the snacking time is 3-4 hours before dinner so that your stomach has enough time to process the snack and be prepared for dinner as well.
Healthy evening snacks help mainly with the following:
- It helps to avoid overeating at dinner.
- It reduces the gap between lunch and dinner.
- It aids in sustaining energy until dinner time.
- It controls acidity, bloating and other digestive problems.
- It keeps you energetic and refreshed for the second half of the day.
- It helps to control the portion size in lunch and dinner.
- It keeps blood sugar levels maintained.
- It avoids the mental restlessness which you may get at work due to hunger pangs
- It increases productivity, focus, and concentration
Snacking out of boredom is not a healthy choice. It is important that one keeps a gap of 2-4 hours between a major meal and snack-time. The best options one can go for are sprouts, open egg sandwiches, sweet corn, yoghurt mixed with fruits and more.
The content provided above is for information purpose. This is no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
17:10 IST, November 14th 2019