Reckless Snacking
While watching a current popular movie that seems to have lots of controversy surrounding it, one of the main characters, a physician, said the words, “reckless snacking.”
We Americans are snackers. We can mow through a bag of Lays potato chips or a sleeve of Oreos in hardly any time at all. And, ice cream? Well, bring on the tubs! Don’t forget nuts! Handfuls of nuts of every kind are consumed daily as we snack our way to thickened waistlines and ill health.
Sweet or salty, savory or sour – there are many choices to please our palate.
What happened to our three meals a day routine? Breakfast? No time…Lunch – grab a sandwich and eat at my desk. Dinner? I’ll pick something up on the way home, eating late or not at all, our lives are vastly different overall.
Eating food between meals has become mainstream and this trend continues to grow as we see snackable foods everywhere – drive throughs and vending machines have transformed food delivery as chips, candy, and now even refrigerated foods beckon us with ready-made goodies.
Easily available treats have created a nation of reckless snacking as we seem to forego real food while opting for pre-packaged, usually sugary, calorie-laden, yummy, not-particularly-good-for-you, delights.
Gaining weight has become a national pastime, too, as we acknowledge certain physical indications like skyrocketing obesity rates that demand treatments like Ozempic to curtail pounds gained. Fatty liver disease, diabetes, and heart disease continue to dominate health challenges and as the good doctor from the movie stated – “reckless snacking” might be to blame.
Having a diagnosis of diabetes might radically change many things but even though medication is prescribed to help your pancreas deal with the insulin overload, you must do your part by altering your eating habits to reflect more natural foods, less processed, packaged foods, and incorporating exercise into your daily routine.
Lifestyle changes and new food choices may sound daunting. They are! Giving up the urge to snack, finding outlets for your boredom and learning how to focus your thoughts on the goal of feeling terrific and alive!