Snacking has become kind of a hot topic in the world of nutrition, and with good reason. For many years now, the diet books and the fitness world in particular have been promoting the concepts of “grazing,” “snacking,” or eating several small meals throughout the day as opposed to the traditional 3 squares. At first, it seemed like the answer to all our problems. Hypoglycemia (or blood sugar issues) was on the rise in addition to the frightening prevalence of obesity. Even otherwise healthy people who watched what they ate and stuck to their diets were struggling with weight that was fluctuating more than was normal or desirable. When the merits of several small meals started to be touted in the media and in new diet books, it seemed like an easy, fun cure-all: Eat all the time and still lose weight! Never get shaky or experience symptoms of low blood sugar again! Never go hungry! The logic behind it seemed very solid. If we never let ourselves get to the point of extreme hunger, we will make better choices about what we eat (and how much) and our blood sugar will stay stable with a steady stream of fuel to burn. Feeding your metabolism all the time keeps it humming and burning fat, right?
