Snacking and Inflammation

I’ve heard some popular health leaders talk about how snacking helps “keep up metabolism.” This was something I believed for a long time too.  I loved to snack!  In fact, I used to get shaky between meals and could never understand how people could skip meals or “forget to eat”. Not me.  I was a big eater!

Now I know better, and I’m not usually hungry between meals anyway.  

Here’s what actually happens when we keep snacking - keep in mind I am not a doctor, so my explanation is a little simplified. 

When we snack, and especially if that snack is high in sugars and/or carbohydrates, our blood-sugar levels rise quickly.  The pancreas then releases insulin to shuttle the blood-sugar into the cells where it can be used for fuel. Sugar is more fast-acting than insulin, so insulin will stay high for a while after eating, even after the sugar levels drop down.  If you eat again before insulin lowers to fasting levels, more insulin gets released and insulin will get bumped up to higher and higher levels.    

What’s the problem with high insulin levels? When insulin is high a person can become insulin-resistant, meaning that they need much more circulating insulin than a healthy person to keep blood sugar in a safe range, resulting in ‘metabolic syndrome’, a precursor to diabetes and heart disease.  High insulin levels also mean that a person’s cells become dependent on using glucose (from sugars, carbohydrates and even protein) as a fuel, which can cause resistant-weight-loss, lack of energy, and other health issues.  High insulin levels can also cause systemic inflammation.  

Inflammation!  If you have joint pain, inflammation is definitely what you want to try to reduce, not increase, right?

If we keep snacking, we keep insulin levels high and perpetuate inflammation. In their study on Mechanisms of Inflammatory Responses and Development of Insulin Resistance, Rehman and Akash state: “Overnutrition is one of the major causative factors that contributes to induce the state of low-grade inflammation.”

To help reduce inflammation, it’s better to keep insulin levels in the normal range by extending the time between meals. This helps the cells become metabolically flexible, meaning they can use fat for fuel rather than relying only on glucose.  There are a host of benefits to a person being metabolically flexible (read about those here), but the key point in this article is the benefit of reduced inflammation.  

What to do if you are hungry between meals?  (I remember what that was like!) You need to train your body to become a fat-burner. 

Here is a four-step strategy to consider:

1. Make sure your meals are made up of a clean protein, some healthy fats and lots of vegetables.  This way, food will take longer to metabolize and help keep blood-sugar levels more stable. 

2. Extend the times between eating.  Increase the time between your meal and your snack a little longer each day until you no longer need to snack. 

3. Increase your night-time fasting window.  Stop eating 3-4 hours before bed so you have a 12 hour window between supper and your morning meal.  Then you could try going even longer with intermittent fasting.  

4. Carry an emergency snack with you so that if you do it, you aren’t driving blood-sugar levels up too quickly.  See the ideas in this article. 

Of course, there are times you may need to snack, but before you do, really listen to your body. Maybe you are just thirsty.  Hydrate with water, tea or, my favourite, Bulletproof coffee.  If you are still hungry, then have one of those emergency snacks.

Cutting down on snacks may go a long way to reducing inflammation. It’s worth a try and there’s nothing to lose, except maybe a few pounds!

A great way to help improve your health is choosing to create peace and calm while you are eating.  HOW you eat can be as important as WHAT you eat.  I have a great resource for you to implement TODAY to help you become empowered in your health.  Click on the image below to receive it.