Men\'s Health Malaysia - Jun 2017

70 JUNE 2017

WANDER DOWN ANY SNACK AISLE, AND YOU’LL FEEL AS IF YOU’RE BEING INVITED TO A DOZEN parties

at once. Shelf after shelf of bright colours and bold promises vie for your attention: more flavour! Thick

’n’ crunchy! Chocolate in every bite! You don’t feel that same rush when you’re shopping for garbanzo

beans, and for good reason: the spell cast by those snack packages is the result of sophisticated science

and psychology. Consider the very popular snack Fritos (pictured opposite page). As the story goes, says

food scientist Steven Witherly, Ph.D., about 50 years ago somebody overcooked a batch of corn chips. But

when people ate the “flawed” chips, they were blown away by the new version. Apparently the extra time

in the oven enhanced the flavour compounds. (Frito-Lay did not confirm this story.) Fritos also have

Fix the 5

Snacking

Mistakes

You Make

Every Day

more salt than most snacks, so they
send your pleasure receptors into
overdrive. They disintegrate in
your mouth, making them more
addictive. Even the smell on your
fingers afterward is part of a plan to
make that bunch you munched more
memorable, Witherly says. But all
those tricks are primitive compared
with the more subtle tactics food
companies now use to keep you
snacking. New “healthy” versions,
sometimes posing as post-workout
fuel, promise fewer calories, more
protein, and more nutrients – but
these updated options may be just as
bad for you as the junk.
This snacking situation wasn’t
always so confusing. Back in

the 1980s, bad science and good

marketing collided to sell the myth

that metabolism burns like a fire

• and that if you feed it regularly,
  you’ll keep the flame burning. Snack
  producers pounced, suggesting that
  pretzels and chips would make fine
  kindling. And so a 370-plus-billion-
  dollar bonfire erupted around the
  crunchy, salty, fatty, and sweet.
  And everyone bit. Between 1977
  and 2008, consumers’ daily snack
  consumption doubled. Although
  the kindling theory may sound
  logical, your body doesn’t work that
  way, says MH nutrition advisor
  Alan Aragon, M.S. People who eat
  throughout the day burn the same
  number of calories as those who eat

less often – say, three or four times –

but in larger portions. “Small meals

have a small calorie-burning effect.

Large meals have a large calorie-

burning effect,” Aragon says, “but it

all ends up as a wash.”

Researchers have also discovered

that the body’s hormonal response

to snack foods makes them even

more dangerous to your waistline.

Hormones released when you eat

snacks don’t signal your brain that

you’re full in a way that’s similar to

what happens when you eat a meal

of lean meat, fruits and vegetables,

and whole grains, says Georgie Fear,

R.D., the author of Lean Habits for

Lifelong Weight Loss.

So though a 300-calorie candy

bar mid-morning may provide

temporary relief to an energy dip

or a hunger pang, you’re not likely

to compensate for those additional

calories by eating less at lunch, Fear

says. Plus, constant feeding trains

your brain to expect a hit of sugar

at certain times, and your stomach

pumps out an anticipatory burst

of the hunger hormone ghrelin to

remind you.

To fight back against this

nationwide snack attack – and

the numerous health problems

that accompany it – use the advice

on these pages to decide what to

snack on and when, and how to stop

yourself from shaking every last

crumb out of the bag.

If you want to lose
or maintain weight,
your nutrition needs
should come from
3 or 4 large meals.
If you’re still hungry,
follow these
guidelines. You’ll
eat more of the
good stuff and less
junk as you watch
your gut deflate.

new illo

coming

Mar 14

W

Unless you’re trying to

bulk up, Aragon

recommends limiting

your snack calories to

750 a day. Foodwise,

that’s approximately 2

to 4 servings of fruits

or vegetables, 1

serving of nuts, 1

serving of cheese,

and a 2-scoop protein

shake. Note that none

of those options

includes chips or

Double Stuf Oreos.

You Eat

the Wrong

Foods

3

If you’re very active –

training for a marathon

or lifting heavy several

days a week – add

25 grams of protein

on either end of the

two-hour window

surrounding your

workout. That’s a

1-scoop protein shake,

four large hard-boiled

eggs, or 2 ounces of

beef jerky. That’s the

kind of dose that’ll fuel

muscle growth.

You Need

More

Protein

4

If you find yourself

constantly snacking,

hit pause. Are you

truly hungry? Or are

you tired, stressed

or bored? If you’re

seeking food as

temporary relief, sweat

it out. Cardiovascular

exercise may activate

areas of your brain that

help you resist sweet or

salty foods, according

to research from the

University of Waterloo.

You’re

Not Even

Hungry

1

Office birthdays

happen. So why not just

a half slice of cake?

When researchers in

the Netherlands gave

large and small

desserts to two groups,

the result was no

surprise: the big-

dessert group ate more

cal ories and enjoyed

’em. But guess what?

The people served the

small portion felt every

bit as satisfied.

You Take

Too Big

a Serving

5

The lower the sugar

content, the better

• though producers
  often hide the
  sweetness with
  jargon. Any ingredient
  name ending in “ose”
  (dextrose, sucrose)
  tells you the product
  probably has sugar. But
  watch out for “natural
  cane syrup” or “natural
  fruit juices” too. They
  may come from nature,
  but they’re still sugar.

You’re

Hooked

on Sugar

2

FOOD STYLING

MICHELLE GATTON/STOCKLAND MARTEL

PROP STYLING

EMILY MULLIN/HELLO ARTISTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

RADIO

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