Everyone enjoys snacks throughout the day and they may not seem harmless. But do you know that snacking all day isn’t doing anything good to your body? However, it is very important and essential to understand exactly what is happening to your body internally when you’re constantly snacking instead of simply enjoying a snack.
1. Affects your Immune System
Do you know that snacking could actually be giving your immune system a major problem? We are not eating on our regular schedules, but also we are spending more than 16 hours a day in a so-called fed state. This state prompts immune system activity and stimulates the production of a transient inflammatory response. Eating three meals in a day is normal and perfectly healthy. If you are an individual who does snaking then you are putting your body in a near-constant state of inflammation and stress on your immune system.
2. Increased Risk of Heart Disease
If your snack food includes things like candy, pretzels, cookies, and chips then you are indirectly increasing your risk of heart disease. The reason is that these snacks are unhealthy processed foods that are packed with refined sugars and low in nutritional, fiber, and vitamin value. These unhealthy processed snacks can eventually increase the level of fats in the body. Instead of these unhealthy snacks look for better options that are whole with real ingredients full of nutrients and can make you feel full.
3. Tooth Decay
Snaking frequently increases the risk of tooth decay. Usually an individual brush their teeth twice a day once in the morning and the night before going to bed, but do you know if is this enough to keep the tooth safe from decaying? No this is obviously not enough as an individual has a habit of snacking multiple times a day, and the teeth come in contact with food more often. While the bacteria in plaque have more time to produce an acid that can damage enamel. The worst snack food that feeds into this damaging bacteria is mostly full of carbohydrates or sugary such as candy, chips, and granola bars. The more you snack in a day without brushing your teeth the more likely it is that you’ll have tooth decay.
4. Weight Gain
Snaking directly or indirectly makes an impact on the weight. Do you know foods make it very difficult to keep weight under control? Especially when one has a habit of snacking multiple times during the day. Frequent snacking even if eating smaller meals will over the daily calorie budget and may result in excess weight. An individual thinks that a small portion will not affect the goal of maintaining weight, but it actually does have more impact. High-calorie foods and beverages, large servings,s or oversized portions will affect the weight of an individual and will lead to obesity.
5. Prevent Overeating at Mealtimes
Snaking throughout the day can prevent overeating at mealtimes, particularly if your meals tend to be more spaced out leaving you feeling extremely hungry by the time your next meal time comes. this feeling can lead to eating more than you actually eat, and you can also make more unhealthy choices, which will, unfortunately, impact on gaining weight. On the other hand, if you snack on small portions throughout the day or twice, and if they are healthy snacks then it could help to keep your extreme hunger under control, and also overeating won’t happen. It does not mean you have to give up on snacks. In fact, it is important to fuel your body when it is hungry. You can actually make your snack a mini well-balanced meal. Which will be a lot healthier.