There have been diets that suggested that you are only allowed to eat two, maybe three meals a day. These meals are spaced far apart on the premise that it would allow your body to completely burn off each meal before eating another. Not only does this not work effectively, but it also causes other problems. Spacing meals so far apart can make you feel like you’re starving throughout the day. Not only will you feel like your stomach is starving, but your brain will be convinced that’s exactly what’s happening.
The entire digestion process does not start when you chew food or when that food reaches your stomach to be further broken down. It starts in the brain. High-protein snacks can play a vital role in your healthy diet and can keep you on track for weight loss, as well as keeping you more active every day.
This is your brain on good food
Everything you do affects your brain in some way. You fall in love and your brain is flooded with the hormones of happiness, such as serotonin and dopamine. Your brain is also flooded with these same hormones that make you feel good when you eat certain types of food and when you exercise. Your brain gets a rush of endorphins during exercise that can be similar to illicit drug use, a so-called “runner’s high.” These hormones allow you to run farther, harder, and further than your body really should. It’s that feeling of euphoria that we run for. It becomes that feeling that we eat for, especially for those who become addicted to certain types of food.
The brain protects us from starving. At least it’s supposed to, but there are flaws in this system. In a regularly functioning digestive system, the body functions like a well-oiled machine. When the stomach realizes there is no food to process, it releases a hormone that sends the hunger message to the brain. The brain will then send the corresponding hormones and messages to the body that will either motivate the person to eat or delay eating until it is time. The body may regress from feelings of hunger at this point for a while at least, but the stomach, still empty, will send the message once again, and the brain will activate feelings of hunger in a stronger way. . In those who are on a diet or who avoid food for various reasons, the body will send the signal, getting stronger, several more times. Eventually the brain will get the idea that there is a problem and that starvation is imminent. Upon reaching this conclusion, the brain will shut down the metabolism. You stop feeling hungry because the body is not working properly from the inside.
Once you stop eating food or the correct amounts of food, other problems will begin to arise as well. After the metabolism shuts down, the body and brain will go into their version of autopilot, and non-essential functions will stop operating. If you starve your body long enough, even essential functions will stop as well.
More food, more often
High-protein snacks are a healthy way to keep your metabolism going and stay strong and healthy. If you are eating one meal when you first wake up, then don’t eat again until noon, and then a final meal at night, you will go for hours and hours without any food in your body. A high-protein snack keeps your metabolism running all the time because there is a constant source of food in your system. Going from a meal to a much smaller snack, you engage in calorie confusion. Your body doesn’t know what’s coming or what it will have to deal with.
A high-protein snack also has the advantage of keeping you from feeling hungry between meals because protein takes much longer to digest than other foods. A small protein-based snack can be a great way to stay nourished throughout the day. There are a number of high-protein snacks you can use, some better than others and some that might actually be shocking for many people. For example, one of the best high-protein snacks, especially right after a workout, is a glass of low-fat chocolate milk.
It’s important to note that the amount of protein you need each day varies based on your size, gender, and activity level. You should also calculate the amount of protein and calories in each of your high-protein snacks in this total daily count. You don’t get extras just because they are considered healthy and necessary snacks.
High-protein foods as a late-night snack
There are several diet plans that suggest that you stop eating between four and eight in the evening. The problem, however, is that it leaves you without food in your system for sixteen hours or more. If you go to bed on an empty stomach regularly, you may at least have a restless sleep. Eating a relatively small, concentrated protein-rich snack before bed keeps you from feeling like you’re starving and can also help you sleep better. A small bowl of cereal with low-fat milk, or even string cheese and a small glass of milk, can be good options. They’re not too heavy and not too light: just enough to get you through the morning.