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Grazing can satisfy better than the standard three meals

Date published: 2/4/2007

BY DONYA ARIAS

Dolly Parton swears by it. Toddlers do it naturally. Personal trainers recommend it to clients wanting to drop pounds.

Grazing--eating several small meals throughout the day instead of three larger ones--has been under debate in nutrition circles for decades. Some say it can be the key to feeling healthy, keeping your weight in check and maintaining energy.

"I'm a proponent of it," said Nancy Farrell, wellness dietitian for Spotsylvania County Public Schools and a grazer herself. "I think it's healthier. I think it's smarter. I think it makes sense, as long as you remember each time you eat shouldn't be a party."

In other words, healthy grazing doesn't mean grabbing a handful of chips as you walk through the kitchen, scarfing down a cupcake an hour later and then munching on popcorn in front of the T.V.

Instead, effective grazing means eating mostly "nutrient dense" foods throughout the day, a practice many say leaves them feeling more satisfied than two or three larger meals. Think a peach instead of peach cobbler, low-fat yogurt in lieu of a milkshake, and a few handfuls of fiber- and protein-rich trail mix instead of a candy bar.

Grazing can fit well with a hectic lifestyle and can help many people avoid the ravenous hunger that often leads to overeating. But it does take some planning.

Gary Roach, a personal trainer at the Rappahannock Area YMCA, advises clients wanting to lose weight to eat every three hours, and to combine either a protein and a fat, or a protein and a carbohydrate-rich food. For example, a lunch of tuna with mayonnaise, minus the bread. A snack might be an apple smeared with peanut butter.

"It has worked for many of my clients much better than getting up, skipping breakfast, and then eating two heavy meals," Roach said. "The most important thing for people who graze is to set themselves up so they don't fail."

He tells clients to put their five to six mini meals into containers the night before because "it's always better with a plan."

Scientifically, the jury is still out when it comes to comparing grazing with eating the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner spaced out over a 12-plus-hour day.

Dietitian Nancy Farrell is a grazer, and her typical eating habits look something like this: BREAKFAST: high-fiber cereal topped with a few tablespoons of nuts MORNING SNACK: banana LUNCH: sandwich with a side of veggies (sweet pea pods, grape tomatoes, cucumbers or petite carrots). Also, sometimes, crackers or chips, a small cookie, or some chocolate covered dried plums AFTER-SCHOOL SNACK: warm bowl of soup (such as vegetable barley) DINNER: Meat, potatoes and veggies, or ravioli, served on a dessert plate rather than a full-sized dinner plate Instead of stopping by a fast-food restaurant when you're on the go and hungry, Farrell recommends keeping some healthier options at hand. Farrell likes to mix up her own trail mix using a high-fiber cereal (such as Barbara's Cinnamon Puffins), cashews or walnuts, and dried fruit such as blueberries or apricots. Farrell also recommends quenching your thirst with water, not soda, whether you're on the go or at home.

Date published: 2/4/2007