Snacking better than sex? Yes, according to the diet experts

I love it! - Another of my conditions is now legitimately recognised by the medical professional and is no longer just a figment of my imagination.

I can  hold my head high and say doctors around the world take me seriously,  I am not just being a hypochondriac.

Today, I proudly declare myself a "snackoholic", that’s right, my constant cravings for sugar, and midnight Jaffa Cake crises are not simply lack of will power and too much caffeine before bed, it is an illness.

Can I get pills for it? - even better!

That means I am agoraphobic, claustrophobic, recovering alcoholic, workaholic, recovering nicotine-alholic, need-constant-reassurance-aholic, exercise-aholic and now  snackoholic.

Fabulous news!

Of course this is based not on sound clinical trials conducted at some top swanky university in Geneva by an army of scientists, it's the claim of a diet company which conducted a survey to get a mention in the paper.

Well the best they are going to get is this blog.

Diet Chef says we are a nation of snackers, and what is more shocking, one in ten of us prefer it to sex.

Really? I am not going to pass comment as I know who might read this - suffice to say last night I crept upstairs to bed with a "headache" and a slice of Battenberg.

But really? do we prefer a jam roly-poly to a roly-poly in the hay?

Crisps are actually the most common guilty pleasure, followed by burgers, pizzas and chips.

Nutritionist Caron Leckie said snacking is “out of control” in Britain with boredom the most common cause of people reaching for the biscuit tin.

And in true diet expert fashion, she offers ten tips to cut it out. 

I don’t want to sound cynical, but whenever I read one of these lists they always make me giggle. Do people really see the diet light by being told “swap lard for lettuce  puree”?

Here are some other....snigger....examples.

“Keep a food diary” - yeh, that’s really going to happen.

“If you are craving chocolate try a low-calorie chocolate drink” - right, what’s it to be? Snickers or 26-cal, watery, insipid, vaguely-chocolate-tasting dish water? Which shall I go for?

“Occupy your mind with other things - go for a walk” - yes, much more fun than a cream bun.

“Fill up on fruit and veg” -  oh please. “No I won’t have that donut, thank you very much, I’ve got broccoli instead”.

“Mid-morning caramel latte - choose a healthier alternative like water” - mmmmmm, why didn’t I think of that, water, just as nice as a fatte latte – and a fraction of the calories.

Anyway, if like me you are a snack fiend, here’s the list in its entirety: 

 1. Identify what - whether you want to cut down on or cut out your snacks you need to know truly what you are snacking on - it’s actually quite common to snack without even realising what or how much we are having.   

2. Identify where - once you know what your snacks are, you need to consider where you are most likely to snack.   

3. Identify when - then think about when you are most likely to get the urge for something - at night in front of the TV?  Late afternoon?  Or it might be emotionally related - whenever you’re stressed, lonely, bored or feeling down.  

4. Find a healthier alternative - if you are craving chocolate try a low calorie chocolate drink or instead of crisps try some popcorn - a healthier option means although you are snacking, it’s guilt-free.

5. Distract yourself - occupy your mind with other things - go for a walk, phone a friend, cleaning/ironing, read a book, take a bath, paint your nails - try a few things and see what takes your mind off those snacks.

6. Avoid tricky situations - prevention is better than cure so if you are tempted at lunchtime when you go to the shop, remove the need to go to the shop with a packed-lunch, take everything into work with you.  

7. Cut the portions - if avoiding the situation doesn’t help you can make anything instantly healthier by cutting the portions - this way you get a little of what you fancy, just in a smaller package.

8. Fill up on fruit and veg - we should be aiming for at least five a day so if you feel yourself reaching for a snack, try make it fruits or vegetables packed with nutrients and this will keep your hands and belly full till mealtime.

9. Make small changes - sometimes trying to tackle everything at once can mean we end up with too much on our plate (literally).  

10. Don’t forget drinks - cutting your snacking is typically aimed at cutting some calories so don’t forget drinks will count too.  Whether it’s a fizzy drink, orange juice or the mid-morning caramel latte - they add up so choose a healthier alternative like green tea or water.