According to data from four nationally representative food surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1977 and 2006, snacking may be the leading cause of obesity in this country.
The surveys indicate that a big reason for our national weight gain is that we’re simply eating more and more often. According to a new study, the biggest single contributor to the sharp rise in calorie intake has been the number of snacks and meals people eat per day. Over the past 30-odd years, the study found, Americans have gone from consuming 3.8 snacks and meals per day to 4.9, on average — a 29 percent increase.
Frequency of eating has become a huge issue as food advertising and other media seem to represent that we need to have something in our hands at all times. So we are snacking and munching constantly. Food is everywhere, it’s available all the time and it’s tasty. It’s not very healthy, but it’s tasty. It’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s fatty — it’s the layering of flavors that make foods hyper-palatable, according to author, Dr. David A. Kessler.
One of the primary delivery systems for these hyper-palatable foods has been the explosion of processed foods that makes so much so readily available. Processed foods are staring you in the face wherever you go, movie theaters, drugstores, your workplace and even the vending machines in your health club.
The dilemma for those of us in health and fitness nutrition is that we are advising our clients that they need to eat every two and a half to four hours to maintain healthy blood sugar and hormone levels. So they should be having five-six meals or snacks a day. Are we wrong?
I don’t think so. It is true that prior to the 1970’s, Americans ate nearly one-third less than they do now, and obesity was not a national epidemic. Back then, we didn’t have the abundance or the mindset of abundance, so we ate more carefully. Eating between meals was discouraged so that you didn’t waste food at meals by not being hungry enough.
My parents lived through war times and were often conflicted between not allowing me to “ruin my appetite” and not wanting me to experience the feelings of deprivation they may have endured.
I believe the best course of action is that we still need to counsel our clients to eat regularly, but we have to guide them towards healthier choices. We need to be conscious of when we eat, how much we eat and what we eat. We need to explain the drawbacks of processed snacks regardless of the calorie count and focus on achieving a better outcome for our health.
Judith Samuels, M.A. is a certified nutrition and wellness consultant and master personal trainer at Sport&Health Clubs in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. She can be reached via e-mail at judi@judisamuels.com.
