Cookies before bed may be off the menu.
According to one study, a quarter of people cancel out the benefits of healthy meals by eating unhealthy snacks.
Researchers in London, who monitored the eating habits of more than 850 people, found that one in four reported eating unhealthy snacks (such as chocolate, crisps and cakes) alongside “healthy foods.”
The results suggested that this group was “nullifying the benefits” of eating a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner, as snacking on junk food was linked to higher BMI and blood sugar, increasing the risk from suffering strokes, heart disease and obesity.
However, the analysis showed that snacks themselves are not harmful to health, as long as people choose healthy treats, such as fruits, nuts and seeds.
Researchers in London, who monitored the eating habits of more than 850 people, found that one in four reported eating unhealthy snacks, such as chocolate, crisps and cakes, along with “healthy meals.” The results suggested that this group was “nullifying the benefits” of eating a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner, as snacking on junk food was linked to higher BMI and blood sugar, increasing the risk from suffering strokes, heart disease and obesity.
Scientists tracked the snacking habits of 854 people from the ZOE PREDICT study, a group of in-depth nutritional research studies that aim to reveal how and why people respond differently to the same foods.
Participants consumed “standardized test meals” for nine to 11 days and recorded the number and types of snacks consumed using an online food diary.
About 95 percent of the cohort confessed to snacking, while the average daily intake was recorded as 2.28 snacks per day.
About 29 percent of people ate more than two, the researchers said.
But in a paper in the European Journal of Nutrition, scientists at Kings College London said 26 percent of participants reported eating healthy meals but opting for “poor quality snacks” that left them “feeling hungry.”
This group had “poorer health markers.”
However, snack frequency had no impact on blood fats and blood pressure.
Dr Sarah Berry from King’s College London and chief scientist at ZOE said: “Considering that 95 per cent of us snack and almost a quarter of our calories come from snacks, we replace unhealthy snacks such as biscuits, chips chips and cakes for healthy snacks like fruit. and nuts is a really simple way to improve your health.’
The most popular snacks consumed were cookies, fruits, nuts and seeds, cheese and butter, cakes and pies, and granola or cereal bars, the scientists said.
High blood sugar and fat levels can lead to diabetes and heart disease, studies have found.
People with diabetes are also more likely to have other conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, such as high blood pressure.
The researchers also found that those who ate “high-quality snacks” (such as nuts, fresh fruit, and granola bars) had “better metabolic health” and were not as hungry.
Ultra-processed foods like cakes, chips, and brownies are generally higher in sugar, salt, and saturated fat compared to less processed foods.
The term covers foods that contain ingredients that a person would not add when cooking at home, such as chemicals, dyes, and preservatives.
These include prepared meals, ice cream, hot dogs, Southern fried chicken, cereal, and ketchup.
They are different from processed foods, which are processed to make them last longer or enhance their flavor, such as cured meat and cheese.
But the researchers also found that the timing of snacking was also crucial for health, with eating later in the evening having “significantly more negative health implications.”
People who ate most of their evening snacks after 9 p.m. experienced larger spikes in their blood sugar compared to those who ate snacks earlier in the day, they said.
Those who ate later also had higher blood fat concentrations compared to those who ate earlier.
Snackers at that time tended to eat energy-dense foods high in fat and sugar.
Dr Kate Bermingham, from King’s College London and principal scientist at ZOE, said: “This study contributes to the existing literature that food quality is the determinant of positive health outcomes from food.”
“Ensuring we eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, proteins and legumes is the best way to improve health.”
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS.
• Eat at least five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruits and vegetables count
• Base meals are based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: five servings of fruits and vegetables, two whole-grain crackers, two thick slices of whole-wheat bread, and one large baked potato with skin.
• Eat some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks), choosing options low in fat and sugar.
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including two servings of fish each week, one of which should be fatty).
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small amounts
• Drink six to eight cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should consume less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day.
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
