We all know that feeling – you're out and about, running errands or enjoying a fun day trip with friends when all of a sudden your stomach starts growling.

If you're like most people, your initial reaction is to panic a little. After all, you don't want to ruin your diet or healthy eating habits by reaching for something unhealthy to snack on. But what if we told you that snacking doesn't have to be a bad thing?

In fact, as long as you're smart about what kinds of snacks you choose, they can end up being very beneficial for both your waistline and your gut health.


Here's everything you need to know about snacking the right way, courtesy of Dr Megan Rossi – also known as the Gut Health Guru!

‘(Snacking) isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’ she said, explaining that around 20 per cent of total calories people consume on average come from snacks.

‘In fact, I believe snacking often gets unjustifiably bad press.’

‘People think it encourages weight gain or bad habits, and while mindless grazing on the wrong things absolutely can do this, “smart snacking” can be beneficial, particularly when it comes to weight and blood sugar management.’

To start, Dr Rossi zoomed in on habits formed over hunger, taking aim at the practice of holding out on eating (especially on busy days), only to binge on a massive meal once free.

‘A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Medicinal Food showed that having a 30g serving of walnuts as a snack significantly reduced the total calorie, saturated fat, sugar and salt intake at the subsequent meal.’ she said.


‘But the choice of snack is key. When the researchers gave the study volunteers sugary, gummy snacks, they didn’t have the same calorie reduction at the next meal.’

Diabetics or identified pre-diabetics are one subset of people who can benefit from ‘smart snacking’ since it spreads out meals instead of encouraging large ones,according to Dr Rossi.

‘In my view, another perk of snacking is that it offers the chance to broaden the range of nutrients you’re taking in for your gut microbes to feast on.’ she continued.

She shared another study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2006 that found those who practised ‘smart snacking’ had higher levels of nutrients like fibre compared with those who didn’t.

The clincher though for Dr Rossi is people’s choices when they do go for snacking.


‘Now I’m all for enjoying a few squares of chocolate from time to time — it’s a known mood booster.’ she said.

‘But the truth is that while chocolate may provide a mild surge in energy, this is most likely followed by a sudden crash. What’s more, your gut microbes don’t get any return on this, unless the chocolate is 70 per cent or more cocoa solids.’

So you can reach for chocolate, just don’t expect it to help with hunger.

But what do you do when snacking on its own isn’t reaping the benefits it should?

Dr Rossi says the best tactic is to choose the food you snack on to best complement whatever your main meals lack.

‘A smart snack includes fibre, protein and some healthy fats. This winning combination will help you feel fuller for longer and reduce spikes in blood sugar levels that result from higher carbohydrate foods, such as fruit when eaten alone.’ she said.


Some personal favourites of Dr Rossi’s are popcorn ( fibre and fat), hummus and tomatoes with wholegrain crackers (healthy for the gut and rich in fibre, fat, and protein), and natural yoghurt with fruit and/or nuts (fibre, fat, and protein).

‘There are, it has to be said, some who don’t benefit from snacking. If you’re someone who finds that snacking makes you more hungry, or if you only have access to less healthful foods during the day, then give snacking a miss.’ she said.

Dr Rossi also has some bad news for those who think ‘smart snacking’ is a quick and easy way to slim one’s figure.

‘It’s true that when you eat, your metabolic rate jumps a little — it’s called the thermic effect of food (TEF) — because you have to burn calories to digest and absorb nutrients from your food.’ she said.

‘TEF makes up around ten per cent of your total calorie expenditure. Some people take this to mean that snacking can help you lose weight by keeping your metabolism humming. But the TEF relates to the overall amount of food you eat, not the frequency.’

According to her, this means that even if you spread out 1600 calories into six snacks or three full meals, the calories spent digesting the food will remain largely the same.

Phew! We don’t know about you, but Dr Rossi sure has us thinking about our next snacks a lot!

Are you interested in taking up Dr Rossi’s ‘smart snacking’ suggestion? What do you usually eat as a snack?

Tell us in the comments section below!