‘Snack less’ is a very common New Year’s Resolution. However, it can be frustrating to try to make meaningful changes in your eating habits when you don’t understand why you make those choices in the first place.

Recently, the GenoPalate team has introduced a new genetic panel that’s designed to give our users as much information as possible about their eating and snacking habits, and how those are shaped by their genetics. It’s called the Eating Insights Report. 

The information gained from the new Eating Insights Report should help users understand what’s unique about themselves and their habits, what’s healthiest for their particular genetic makeup, and how to find opportunities for improvement.

While the meals we eat are important, most people overlook the moments where they give in to stress, eating unhealthy snacks that simply fill them up without providing essential nutrients. 

Today, we’ll talk about healthy snacking, and how you can improve your snacking habits with data from the Eating Insights Report.

Before we delve into the details of the Eating Insights Report, it’s important to understand what healthy snacking is, and what healthier habits we should be aiming towards. In the past, snacking has been denigrated as something that’s inherently unhealthy, and should be avoided at all costs.

However, that’s both inaccurate and unrealistic. Snacking is an essential part of a healthy diet, and is a great way to keep your energy levels steady throughout a busy day. Snacks can also help prevent us from overeating at mealtimes.

To be considered ‘healthy’, snacks should be nutritious – not just empty calories. They should also not be so large or filling that they stop us from eating at regular meal times, or contribute to unwanted weight gain. 

Fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains all make great healthy snacks.

When you receive your Eating Insights Report (EIR), the data within should help you identify several different traits and tendencies that influence the way you behave when it comes to treats and snacks.  

When you read your EIR, you’ll be shown your snacking tendencies, and whether you’re vulnerable to extreme snacking. This means that you consume a large percentage of your daily caloric intake from snacks, as opposed to regular meals. This is often linked to increased intensity hunger signals, or the tendency to skip meals.

The EIR can also show a tendency towards nighttime snacking, which is often due to genetic variants that cause people to have more difficulty feeling full, even after a nutritious and filling meal.

Getting as much data as possible on the causes of your unhealthy eating and snacking habits will help you make meaningful changes that will help improve your health. Being aware of your tendencies and their genetic roots is the first step in making better choices.

For example, if you know that you’re a nighttime snacker, you may want to have a less filling dinner, because you know that you’ll snack in a few hours. You can also stock up on healthy snacks that you can grab quickly after your dinner, like low-fat cottage cheese, sliced veggies, or air-popped popcorn.

If you tend to be an excessive snacker, you can try to alter your schedule to ensure you’re getting three regular meals a day. This can help limit your hunger so that you don’t snack as much.

The more you know about your snacking tendencies, the easier it will be to improve your habits to ensure you’re doing everything possible to continue making healthier choices.

The Eating Insights Report is a great resource for anyone looking to learn as much as possible about their eating habits, and how they’re affected by their genetic profile. Want to try it today? It’s a simple process to get started.