Snacking is a method of stress relief and can double the daily calorie intake. The differences between snacks and snacking are explained by Dr. Mihaela Bilic on Wellness doctor.

Mihaela Bilic, nutritionist: "When food is around, snacking becomes a natural thing. You must be careful not to find yourself eating unintentionally. I believe we are programmed to eat non-stop.

We tend to snack especially when stressed, bored or trying to avoid an unpleasant activity. Therefore, snacking is a way to relax the brain.

We need to understand that these two entities living in our bodies—the brain, which always wants to eat, and the liver and the rest of the digestive system, which don’t really know how to say stop—have different needs.

The difference between a snack and snacking is significant. We know from children that we have two snacks—one at 10:00/11:00 in the morning and one at 17:00. These are small meals recommended for children because they have small stomachs, are constantly distracted by other activities, and often forget to eat and get full quickly. Thus, for a child, to prevent them from using their body's fat and muscle reserves, it is good to give them a small snack to provide energy from external food.

This also applies to adults who do physical work or are of normal weight or rather slim and need to protect their fat reserves.

So, a snack is primarily a meal justified by hunger. This is mandatory. We need to consider how long it has been since we last ate. If at least three hours have passed since the previous meal and there are still two or three hours until the next meal, and we feel acute hunger, then yes, a snack is a good idea.

A small sandwich, yogurt, a piece of pretzel or a banana—something that can keep us satisfied for another two hours.

Snacking is effective when the food is crunchy. Whether it’s chips, pretzels, dry foods or nuts. They go very well with snacking. They are high in calories. And have plenty of fat. Nuts also contain protein, making them a perfect snacking food.

For a small meal, nutritionists recommend an intake of approximately 150 calories. A small meal means a slice of bread with something on it. A small pretzel, a banana—a small caloric intake to keep us slightly full.

For a small meal, we could have cottage cheese with a slice of toast. The best snack would be crunchy vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, radishes or cucumbers. They pose no risk.

Snacking products are usually highly concentrated in calories. Another problem with snacking is that we do it while driving, on the couch or in front of a screen. We don’t realize the quantity consumed and usually stop when the package is empty. Snacking can continue depending on the package size, so it's very important to choose the smallest package when shopping. This limits the quantity.

Snacking leads us to a state where we forget about ourselves, our worries and our thoughts, and we keep snacking. Be very careful! If you have issues with your figure, snacking brings twice as many calories as regular meals, so you should stop snacking if you want to lose weight".