The Surprising Truth About Snacking.

Could snacking between meals be good for you? Eating a well-timed snack may be better for your health than you thought...

I snack a lot. Always have, probably always will. For years, I found myself asking, “why can’t I eat lunch and just wait until dinner to eat again?” I went searching for the answer, and this is what I found.

We’ve been taught for so long that eating less is the key to good health. We’re told to stick to three meals a day, avoid snacking, and cut calories to lose weight. But what if that advice isn’t the right fit for everyone? After diving into new research and having a recent conversation with Dr. Dan Benardot, a renowned sports nutrition expert and professor at Emory University, I’ve come to realize that a well-timed snack might actually offer more health benefits than simply waiting for the next meal.

**Disclaimer: Everyone’s bodies and health goals are different! If you’ve found a meal timing approach that works for you, that’s great—this isn’t about saying it’s wrong. These insights are simply here to show that cutting calories isn’t the only path to weight loss. Snacking more frequently and eating throughout the day doesn't automatically lead to weight gain and can actually help you maintain your health and energy more than expected.

Understanding Energy and Nutrient Balance

Think of your body as a car. To keep it running smoothly, you need to fuel it with the right amount of gas (calories) and make sure you never run out of gas (i.e., Never overfill the tank, and never let it go to empty).This is where real-time energy balance comes in—it’s the relationship between the calories you consume (energy intake) and the calories you burn (energy expenditure) in real time.

To keep your weight stable and sustain a desirable body composition, the energy you consume should roughly match the energy you burn. If you eat more than your body uses, the excess energy gets stored as fat, just like overfilling a gas tank. On the other hand, if you burn more than you consume, your body taps into its energy reserves (fat and lean tissue) for fuel to keep you running until you reach the next gas station.

But energy balance isn’t just about how much you eat (energy in) or how much you exercise (energy out) in an abstract period of time. It’s about timing, meal frequency, and food quality. Most people can sustain blood sugar for about 3 hours after eating when doing normal daily activity. If you work harder or exercise, then your body burns more fuel per unit of time, causing blood sugar to drop faster than 3 hours. Since blood sugar is the primary fuel for the brain, it's important to never pull the plug (i.e., get low blood sugar) as the brain is responsible for your survival. When blood sugar can't feed the brain with fuel it needs, it figures out a way to make its own fuel by stimulating cortisol (stress hormone), which breaks down muscle tissue to be converted by the liver to glucose, so there is enough blood sugar to keep the brain working. BUT, you've lost the tissue that burns calories (i.e., lean tissue) in the process because fat tissue cannot be converted to glucose. Now the next time you eat you have less tissue to burn the energy (calories) you eat.

The Complexity of Energy In vs. Energy Out

Our bodies are like finely tuned machines, constantly working to maintain a balance between the fuel (calories) we take in and the fuel we use. Even how well we sleep affects how our body uses energy—like ensuring your car has regular maintenance to keep everything running efficiently.

An important piece of this system is how our body manages hunger and energy use. Two key hormones, leptin and ghrelin, act like the gas gauge and fuel warning lights in our car:

• Leptin: Think of leptin as your body’s "full tank" signal. It’s produced by fat cells and tells your brain that you’ve got enough fuel in the tank, so you don’t need to eat more (Leibel et al., 1995).

• Ghrelin: Ghrelin is the "hunger light" that comes on when you’re running low on fuel. It stimulates appetite when you haven’t eaten for a while, signaling your brain that it’s time to refuel (Leibel et al., 1995).

When we eat regularly, these hormones work together to keep our hunger in check and our energy levels steady, just like a car maintaining a steady speed. However, if we skip meals or eat erratically, it’s like running the engine too long without refueling. Ghrelin stays elevated for longer, pushing us to overeat when we finally do eat.

Regular meals and snacks act like well-timed pit stops, keeping the tissue fuel levels and blood sugar balanced and the engine running smoothly. By fueling your body at the right intervals, you can avoid the dips in energy and the hunger-driven overeating that often happens when we skip meals or go too long without eating.

Why Skipping Meals Isn't the Solution

One of the biggest misconceptions around dieting is the idea of cutting calories for weight loss, but this can majorly backfire. While caloric restriction may initially lead to weight loss, it often has unintended consequences because 'weight' is the wrong metric. You want to lose 'fat weight' not 'muscle weight.' When the body is placed on a restrictive diet, it enters survival mode. In this state, the body becomes hyper-efficient at storing energy and slowing metabolism by lowering metabolically active tissue to preserve calories. Instead of losing 'weight', the body becomes excessively energy efficient and holds onto fat, making weight loss more difficult (Benardot, 2013). This mechanism is a survival tactic that worked when our genes were formed and food was scarce, but in today’s world, it often leads to long-term metabolic issues. This is why extreme calorie-cutting methods aren’t desirable strategies for body fat management.

Likewise, studies show that those who skip meals, particularly breakfast, tend to consume more calories later in the day. This happens because hunger and energy depletion lead to overeating in an attempt to compensate for the missed meal. Breakfast skipping has also been associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and increased cardiometabolic risk factors (Smith et al., 2010). The body responds to long gaps between eating by entering a state of higher hunger, which makes it more likely to store fat rather than burn it.

Why Meal Frequency Matters

Research suggests that eating more frequently—through small, balanced meals or snacks throughout the day—helps maintain steady blood sugar and energy levels (Benardot, 2013). Dr. Benardot emphasizes that the pancreas doesn’t wait until the end of the day to decide how much insulin to produce—it works in "real time" (Benardot, 2025). This means that if you skip meals or eat too infrequently, the body has to work harder to regulate blood sugar, which can lead to a loss of lean (muscle and organ) tissue, insulin spikes, fat storage, and energy imbalances.

A meal frequency that helps maintain an energy balanced state helps maintain metabolic activity and prevent the body from entering survival mode, where fat storage and lean tissue loss is prioritized. This approach not only supports weight management but also reduces the risk of metabolic diseases like the insulin resistance associated with Type 2 diabetes.

Energy Balance in Athletes

For athletes, energy balance is very critical for sustaining performance and exercise recovery. Research has shown that female athletes who experience energy deficits, that exceed -300 kcal within a 24-hour period have elevated cortisol and lower estrogen, which is bad for both muscles and bones. (Fahrenholtz et al., 2018). Similarly, male athletes with poor within-day energy balance can experience a reduced testosterone-to-cortisol ratios, which can negatively impact muscle mass and recovery (Torstveit et al., 2018).

Proper meal timing, particularly around workouts, ensures that the body has enough fuel for performance and recovery. Athletes can use NutriTiming© systems to track energy intake and expenditure throughout the day, ensuring they are eating in a way that supports both performance and optimal body composition.

Hormonal Regulation: Leptin, Ghrelin, and Insulin

The body’s hormonal response to energy intake and expenditure is complex. Leptin, which regulates energy balance by signaling fullness, and ghrelin, which promotes hunger, are sensitive to meal timing and frequency. Skipping meals or fasting for too long can disrupt these hormones, making it harder for the body to regulate hunger and metabolism.

Insulin, another key hormone, is directly influenced by the frequency of meals. Large, infrequent meals can lead to sharp insulin spikes, while regular, smaller meals help maintain steady insulin levels, improving energy balance and reducing fat storage (Leibel et al., 1995). This underscores the importance of eating regularly and maintaining consistent blood sugar levels to support metabolic heal

Practical Tips for Eating More Frequently

So, how can you implement this more frequent eating pattern into your daily life? Here are some practical tips:

1. Eat balanced meals and snacks: Aim for smaller, nutrient-dense meals throughout the day that include protein, healthy fats, and fiber to keep you feeling satisfied without overloading your digestive system.

2. Avoid excess sugar: When snacking, opt for whole foods like fruits, nuts, beans, or vegetables. Avoid processed foods and sugary snacks as they can cause insulin spikes, which will negatively impact blood sugar regulation and metabolism, and result in higher body fat.

3. Bring snacks EVERYWHERE: If you go to school with me, you have probably seen me go through my bag and dig out bags of nuts, crackers, or apples in class. I always keep a few bags of my favorite snacks with me so I don't run the risk of getting too hungry and making poor food choices later. Having healthy options on hand ensures I stay energized and focused without reaching for something unhealthy when my blood sugar dips.

4. Listen to your body: If you’re hungry between meals, don’t ignore it. Reach for a healthy snack to keep your energy levels consistent and prevent overeating at the next meal. The message is that avoiding that hunger can lead to overeating!!!

   
   

Listen to Your Stomach!

Eating small amounts more frequently can help stabilize blood sugar, support a healthier metabolism, and keep energy levels high throughout the day. The key is to move away from the traditional three-meals-a-day pattern and instead focus on listening to your body’s needs. Eating in line with your body’s natural rhythms can help you maintain consistent energy, prevent overeating, and boost overall health.

Dr. Benardot shared a powerful story from a conference he attended in Australia, where scheduled mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack breaks were built into the middle of meetings to ensure that no one’s blood sugar or energy levels dropped too low. This simple yet effective practice is exactly what we need in the U.S., especially in schools. I truly hope that one day we can adopt this approach, prioritizing our bodies and minds, especially when we’re working or learning for extended periods.

So, the next time you’re feeling hungry between meals, embrace the snack—it’s a small yet impactful step toward achieving Something Better.

Sources:

1. Benardot, D., Deutz, B., Martin, D., & Cody, M. (2000). Relationship between energy deficits and body composition in elite female gymnasts and runners. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(3), 659-668.

2. Benardot, D. (2013). Energy thermodynamics revisited: Energy intake strategies for optimizing athlete body composition and performance. Revista de Ciencias del Ejercicio y la Salud (Journal of Exercise Science & Health), 11(2), 1-13.

3. Benardot, D. (2025). GH 545-Energy-Nutrient Balance Presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Emory University.

4. Blom, W. A. M., & deVries, J. H. (2005). Effect of frequent small meals on energy metabolism and body composition. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(2), 367-375.

5. Fahrenholtz, I., Sjödin, A., Benardot, D., Tornberg, ÅB., Skouby, S., Faber, J., Sundgot-Borgen, J., & Melin, A. (2018). Within-day energy deficiency and reproductive function in female endurance athletes. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13030

6. Hawley, J. A., & Burke, L. M. (1997). Carbohydrate intake during exercise: Effects on performance and metabolism. British Journal of Nutrition, 77(Suppl. 1), S91-S103.

7. Leibel, R. L., Rosenbaum, M., & Hirsch, J. (1995). Changes in energy expenditure resulting from altered body weight. The New England Journal of Medicine, 332(10), 621-628.

8. Mountjoy, M., Sundgot-Borgen, J., Burke, L., Carter, S., Constantini, N., Lebrun, C., Meyer, N., Sherman, R., Steffen, K., Budgett, R., Ljungqvist, A. (2014). The International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(7), 491-497. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-093502

9. Paddon-Jones, D., & Rasmussen, B. B. (2009). Dietary protein recommendations and the prevention of sarcopenia. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 12(1), 86-90.

10. Smith, K. J., Gall, S. L., McNaughton, S. A., Blizzard, L., Dwyer, T., & Venn, A. J. (2010). Skipping breakfast: Longitudinal associations with cardiometabolic risk factors in the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92(6), 1316–1325. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2010.30101

11. Torstveit, M. K., Fahrenholtz, I., Stenqvist, T. B., Sylta, Ø., & Melin, A. (2018). Within-day energy deficiency and metabolic perturbation in male endurance athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2017-0337