Is Grazing Good For You? Maybe Not!

Clients and students often ask for my opinion on frequent snacking or "grazing," the practice of eating five or six small mini-meals a day. This is one of those issues for which I don't need to look far for an answer: While grazing works for some people, it's disastrous for others.

I know this, because I happen to be one of those "others." My husband plans ahead for three meals and at least one snack. My kids eat three meals and two snacks on most days. I've learned that for me, it's best to stick to three meals.

I've also observed that when I'm hungry between meals, it's almost always because my meals are low in protein and high in carbohydrate. Sometimes, it's because I neglected to incorporate enough non-starchy veggies. Either way, snacks seem to find their way into my eating habits when I'm not paying enough attention to balancing my meals. And when I do snack, it's almost never a good thing: I have a tendency to lean toward high-carb or high-calorie snacks, like a handful of pretzels or nuts.

My perspective hasn't been too popular lately. However, that may change soon. Foodnavigator-USA.com recently posted an article about a study conducted by researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The researchers concluded that since 1977, both calorie density and eating frequency have increased. That is, the foods Americans eat began to contain more calories, and Americans began to eat more frequent meals and snacks.

However, they also observed that in the early- to mid-2000s, calorie density began to level off, while eating frequency increased. This led to their conclusion that eating and drinking more often throughout the day may be a contributor to the obesity crisis we're experiencing in the US.

It's a reasonable observation. True, there are many factors that affect weight management. However, activity level and eating habits are probably the two most critical factors. Unless you're very carefully monitoring what you're eating at your meals and snacks, it's all-too-easy for those meals and snacks to undermine your weight management efforts.

So, if you're like me, and grazing isn't for you, consider yourself vindicated, and focus on eating healthfully three times a day. If you'd like to check out the Foodnavigator-usa.com article, you can do so here; there's a link to the full study there, as well.