What are the tips to stop snacking?

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Extract from the article: Snacking is a problem. As soon as you're not hungry, your body doesn't need food or energy. What we eat at that moment is a surplus that the body will gladly store. So, ultimately, regular snacking makes you fat.

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Snacking is a problem. As soon as you're not hungry, your body doesn't need food or energy. What we eat at that moment is a surplus that the body will gladly store. So, ultimately, regular snacking makes you fat.

Snacking, i.e. eating outside mealtimes, has become a frequent habit for many Togolese. This is not without consequences. Many factors can lead to situations where you eat without even realizing it.

Why are some people more inclined to snack?

There are a number of factors: boredom (especially in children), watching television, because food commercials make you want to snack. Then there are factors that are harder to control, such as stress, anxiety, annoyance or sadness. Under the influence of these emotions, we feel the urge to eat sugary and fatty foods such as chocolate, pastries, fried foods, etc., in the hope, consciously or unconsciously, of achieving a balanced diet.

In the hope, consciously or unconsciously, that they will bring comfort. And finally, lack of sleep and fatigue are also factors in snacking.

What are your tips for stopping snacking?

This happens in five stages: learning to listen to your body to distinguish between hunger and the desire to eat. Hunger leads to a feeling of hollowness and gurgling in the stomach, nervousness, dizziness, weakness, difficulty concentrating, headaches and so on.

The appetite is then stimulated and the need to feed the body arises. In contrast, the simple urge to eat without hunger is not accompanied by any physical manifestation.  When you feel the urge to eat without hunger, drink a cool glass of water or, even better, a hot beverage (tea, herbal tea, a good cup of coffee), as this helps the urge to pass. Avoid surrounding yourself with easily “snackable” foods, such as potato chips, sweets, chocolate, cookies and peanuts, whether at home, in the office or in the car. Seek solace in an activity that relaxes and gives pleasure, such as chatting with a friend on the phone, reading, drawing, taking a walk in the garden or having a shower.

Correct any lack of sleep and tame negative emotions by taking up a sporting activity you enjoy, as exercise produces pleasure and well-being hormones in the body that reduce stress and anxiety.

By William O.

Expert: Dr Binetou Cheikh Seck, Dietician-Nutritionist at Cabinet diététique Nutridéal in Dakar (Senegal)