Quality Snacking
- ciaralitchfield
- May 14, 2014
- 4 min read
Should we snack?
For average women the daily recommended calorie intake is 2000. Of this, around 400 calories are made up of snacks. It’s important to snack to prevent yourself from becoming so hungry that you override all cue's from your brain and end up binging. Aiming for 4 100 calorie snacks is ideal e.g. 14 Almonds or 10 baby carrots with 2 tablespoons of hummus.
After looking at the calorie content fat is often the next to be checked. But should you prioritise low calorie or low fat? The answer is neither.
What to look for
Calories and fat is not the be all and end all of picking a quality snack. Keep and eye on them if you are watching your weight but there are many other things that contribute to feeling full and satisfied that you should know about
I have selected 2 common snacks to show you that it’s not just the calories or fat content you should be keeping an eye one.
The first snack is a Nairns Cheese Oatcake which contains 39 calories and 2.3g of fat. The second is a Cheddars cheese biscuit which contains more calories at 86 each but less fat at 1.2g. In cases like these it’s hard to decide which the better option is. Below is a breakdown of my choice and the reasons why.
Nairns Vs Cheddars
Calories: 39 Vs 86 – As an average snack should contain no more that 100 calories the Nairns win as you can have a larger portion of 2 biscuits and still be under your allowance leaving 22 calories for a low cal topping or side. Having a larger portion tells your brain you are fuller. Visual cue of more food tell your brain they are getting more so should feel fuller.
Fat: 2.3g Vs 1.2g – A low fat food is considered to be one with less than 3g of total fat per 100g. This information can be found on the food label. Obviously neither of these falls into that category. When cheese is involved in a product fat is likely to follow! Lots of people are instantly put off by a higher fat content, however as long as you stay below the recommended 70g a day for women and 95g a day for men it’s nothing to worry about. Having a bit more fat in a snack generally means you will be sustained for longer, leaving more time before then next meal. For this reason Nairns wins this one as its likely to keep you sustained for longer but not put you at risk of going over the recommended allowance.
Sat Fat: 1g Vs 0.2g – Women should eat no more than 20g of saturated fat a day, men 30g. Neither of these snacks is likely to push you over the edge. While saturated fat is the bad guy it’s a fact that they appear in baked goods such as crackers and cakes and animal products such as meat and dairy. As long as you keep below the guidelines they aren’t too much to worry about. This point goes to Cheddars as lower saturated fat is ideal.
Protein: 1.1g Vs 0.4g – An increase in protein is associated with an increase in satiety (feeling of being satisfied). For this reason you are likely to eat less with when foods protein content is higher. Often protein is accompanied by fat so you have to weigh up the pros and cons. Here Nairns wins.
Carbohydrate: 3.6g Vs 1.9g – Carbohydrates are the first call for energy in the body. They are used quickly and easily by our cells. Good carbohydrates are those that provide a steady source of energy (Also known as low GI). In the cause or Nairns, whole grains are used which are slow release carbohydrates. These keep blood sugar steady so you don’t crash later! For this reason Nairns wins.
Sugar: 0.05g Vs 0.2g – Linked to the point above, sugars are the simplest form of Carbohydrates. This is not ideal as sugary food increase blood sugar levels. This leads to a sudden burst of energy followed by a crash. Sugars in foods lead us to crave more to get out of the crash we have just experienced (very common in products such as diet coke). This process in your body is often exploited by food companies to increase the amount you eat. For its low sugar content and good quality carbs I give the win to Nairns.
Fibre: 0.6g Vs 0.1g – Fibre helps us to feel fuller for longer while aiding healthy digestion. Soluble fibre helps us to feel fuller as it’s fairly bulky and stays in our stomach for longer while being digested. Generally we don’t get enough so more is better! A simple straight forward win for Nairns.
So overall despite its higher fat content Nairns is the winner. This is a good example of how the quality of you food is more important than calorie or fat content alone. Just because it’s low fat or low calorie it doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. Low fat/calorie foods are often very unsatisfying leading us to eat more of them. Don’t be scared of products with a bit of fat just weigh up the benefits and stick to guideline amounts.
