The Japanese approach to snacking for mindful, enjoyable eating


Dear Reader,

After the pandemic, it seems that time at home has led to more people purchasing processed foods: Mondelez, the maker of Oreos, announced that cookie and cracker sales shot up nearly 30% in the first quarter of 2020. The New York Times has recently published a piece on food trend predictions for 2024, and appears that increased snacking is one of the strongest trends we're seeing.

But snacking is not always good news, and some people have concerns around the repercussions of easier and more frequent access to snacks.

Nabisco/Mondelez is well aware of the concern surrounding their foods and has a “snacking made right” campaign to try and regain consumer trust. As part of their campaign, they released a video outlining tips for better mindful snacking with Oreos. Their tips included:

  • Portion out your snack, for example by placing three Oreos on a plate to resist the urge to eat more.
  • Smell your Oreos before eating it, to focus on taste.
  • Pause and put the Oreo back on the plate between bites, to pace yourself.

Hmm.. okay.

I turned to my sister who was sitting next to me and showed her the video. We both laughed at the ridiculousness of the advice but also felt a bit of frustration that these companies weren’t actually trying to be helpful, just producing useless fluff under the guise of being socially responsible.

Is there a better way to snack without throwing it out of our pantry?

“Well, you think about America and they have snack time, but there’s actually no real defined time to it,” my sister mused. “But when you think about snack time in Japan, it’s always 3 p.m. Why is that?”

What is the 3 o’clock snack?

Sanji no oyatsu in Japanese reads “the 3 o’clock snack.” It’s not necessarily a proverb or an idea on how to snack, exactly, but behind the history of the phrase is a more deeply ingrained idea as to what mindful snacking is.

Snack in Japanese is read 御八つ (oyatsu), and its origin is said to be from the time 八刻 or “yatsudoki” used in the Edo period, which refers to the time from 2 to 4 p.m. So “oyatsu” used to mean that time between lunch and dinner, a time for some food, and a short break.

It’s interesting because every country has a history of snacking or break time, but consider one of the origins of Western snack time: England’s world-famous afternoon tea. In Japan, however, yatsudoki was a snack time developed by the working class. Now “oyatsu” refers to a snack regardless of what time it is, but the roots of the term persist today.

On modern Japanese snacking

Sanji no oyatsu reinforces the idea that snacking deserves its own recognition, hence a boundary to help us make better decisions about how we eat. In this way it’s not a mindless activity, but choosing to eat with a goal in mind:

  1. A satisfying snack that will carry you until your next meal
  2. Or a snack that will help you relax and refresh a bit midday
  3. Or both!

With a purpose in mind, decisions around eating are made to satiate our needs, which helps prevent overeating. So with a bit of awareness behind your instinct to snack, you can make better decisions on what and how you should eat.

To satisfy a hunger craving

  • Pick something nutrient-dense, protein- or fiber-rich — things like nuts, dark chocolate, yogurt, avocado toast, or anything that will fill you up.
  • Drink some water with your snack to ensure you’re not confusing dehydration for hunger.

To satisfy your need for a break

  • Pick something you enjoy — choosing a food that satisfies but gives you no joy will not satisfy your need to continue eating.
  • Put yourself in a relaxing environment: away from the computer and phone, away from the desk. Grab a friend or family member to join you if you can, or sit by a window and look outside as you eat. Break time doesn’t need to be an hour, but even just a designated 10 minutes to enjoy something will help you relax and refresh.

It’s important to be aware of our needs: By meeting them, we’re less likely to snack with abandon.

If we aren’t aware we are snacking to satisfy hunger, we will choose foods that won’t fill us and will keep us craving more. If we aren’t aware we are snacking to relieve stress, we will choose a snack that gives us no joy or relaxation, and we perpetuate the cycle of stress eating.

So forget sniffing your Oreos and putting your cookie down between each bite, and instead consider what need you’re trying to satisfy to make better decisions about what and how to eat.

I believe this is the key to mindful eating.

Warmly,

Kaki


Conversation starters 🌱

A lot of you took the time to respond to me last week, thank you! It was so interesting, and I love to read everyone's unique story. It's taking me a bit longer to read through responses than usual, but I appreciate your patience and I hope to get to them all soon!

Here are this week's conversation starters 😊 Answer one, or answer all! I'm curious to hear from you.

  1. What role have your parents or family played in how you understand food, health, and your body?
  2. How much time do you spend a week cooking? Do you wish you spent more/less time on it?
  3. What wins have you experienced this week?


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Hi, I'm Kaki!

I teach about health inspired by simple Japanese philosophies and lifestyle practices, so you can learn to find peace, fulfillment, strength, and health in your own body. Sign up for my newsletter to receive all my writing and exclusive resources!

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