Tag: healthy snacks

snacking

Healthy Snacking

Snacking forms an integral part of our everyday meals. At least once a day, we snack in between our meals while some end up replacing whole meals with snacks. What is the concept of snacking? How does it differ from full meals? Snacks have been defined in many ways yet have a similar concept. These definitions include but are not limited to; Foods eaten as snacks should have a maximum calorie contribution of 250calories. However, most people snack more on energy dense foods and end up exceeding this upper limit further increasing their overall calorie requirement for each day. Typical snack foods are energy-dense and nutrient-poor. In Ghana, common foods used as snacks include sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) such as cereal drinks, biscuits and crackers, cakes, plantain/cocoyam/potato/yam chips, pastries, toffees, and owing to recent trends in nutrition transition, various other imported snack foods. Healthy snack options consumed are yoghurt, sandwiches, eggs, groundnut, fruits, vegetables. Some noted reasons for snacking in Ghana are hunger, weight loss, dislike for available foods and appetite for snacks. Affordability, accessibility and availability of certain snack foods and our mood also influence the habit of snacking. The health implications of snacking are worth noting. Unhealthy snacking leads to weight gain, low diet quality and a generally poor nutrition status while healthy snacking is linked with a good diet quality; contributing to our daily fibre, vitamins, mineral and protein requirement. Strategies for healthy snacking REFERENCES Abubakar, A., Issah, A.-N., Yussif, B., & Agbozo, F. (2023). Dietary habit, nutritional status and related factors among adolescents in Tamale Metropolis, Ghana. African Journal of Food Science, 17(1), 10–23. https://doi.org/10.5897/ajfs2021.2147 Bawa, A. S., & Sidhu, J. S. (2003). Snack Foods | Range on the market. Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 5322–5332. https://doi.org/10.1016/b0-12-227055-x/01096-8   Ganpule, A., Dubey, M., Pandey, H., Srinivasapura Venkateshmurthy, N., Green, R., Ann Brown, K., Maddury, A. P., Khatkar, R., Jarhyan, P., Prabhakaran, D., & Mohan, S. (2023). Snacking behavior and association with metabolic risk factors in adults from north and South India. The Journal of Nutrition, 153(2), 523–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2022.12.032   Hess, J. M., Jonnalagadda, S. S., & Slavin, J. L. (2016). What is a snack, why do we snack, and how can we choose better snacks? A review of the definitions of snacking, motivations to snack, contributions to dietary intake, and recommendations for improvement. Advances in Nutrition, 7(3), 466–475. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.009571   Ostermeier, R., Hill, K., Töpfl, S., & Jäger, H. (2020). Pulsed electric field as a sustainable tool for the production of healthy snacks. Pulsed Electric Fields to Obtain Healthier and Sustainable Food for Tomorrow, 103–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-816402-0.00005-7 Saldivar, S. O. S. (2016). Snack Foods: Types and composition. Encyclopedia of Food and Health, 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-384947-2.00633-4 Stroebele, N., Ogden, L. G., & Hill, J. O. (2009). Do calorie-controlled portion sizes of snacks reduce energy intake? Appetite, 52(3), 793–796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2009.02.015   Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/snacking/ Written By: Gillette Valentina Sylvia

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hydrate

Hydration Hacks

Staying hydrated is one component of healthy living we ought to consciously abide by. Research has found that thirst signals reduce as age increases. Notice that it is the signals that reduce and not necessarily that there is absence of the need for hydration itself. Thus, from an earlier age we should learn to habitually include in our daily lives ways to ensure we are well hydrated instead of waiting for the body to signal us. Nonetheless, common signs and symptoms for dehydration include dry tongue and lips, thirst, sweating, fatigue, lack of focus and dizziness. One other common way of determining one’s hydration status is dark and strong-smelling urine. A typically well hydrated person is more likely to have urine as clear as water. The pivotal role hydration plays in bodily functions is emphasised by the fact that the body is made up of an average of 60% water (two-thirds of the body). Each gender, age group and individual have distinct fluid requirements, however, the average for people living in the tropical regions is 3 litres/day. Hydration plays a critical role in several bodily functions; The body does not store water and so needs a daily supply to replace losses. Although water consumption is significantly associated with hydration status, hydration goes beyond just drinking water. Voluntary water intake, which is dependent on thirst signals, is not enough to meet daily fluid requirement goals to achieve a good hydration status. In view of this, here are some water sources in diet; One creative way to bring variety to drinking of plain water is to make them into cubes and add to fruit juices. One other important thing to note is that while sugar sweetened beverages may have been a good source of fluids, the adverse effect that comes with their chronic consumption far outweighs their benefits and so we should limit their intake. Remember to grab a bottle of water before heading out each day and refill as many times as needed. Let’s work towards those hydration goals! REFERENCES Shaheen, N.A., Alqahtani, A.A., Assiri, H. et al. (2018). Public knowledge of dehydration and fluid intake practices: variation by participants’ characteristics. BMC Public Health 18, 1346 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6252-5 Howard G, Bartam J, Williams A, Overbo A, Fuente D, Geere JA. Domestic water quantity, service level and health, second edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO Widjaja Lukito; Current Evidence in Water and Hydration Science. Ann Nutr Metab 28 December 2021; 77 (Suppl. 4): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1159/000521769   Popkin, B. M., D’Anci, K. E., & Rosenberg, I. H. (2010). Water, hydration, and health. Nutrition reviews, 68(8), 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x Written By: Gillette Valentina Sylvia

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