Always reaching for a snack after lunch? Stanford doc explains the real reason, and how to fix it

It’s about half an hour after your lunch, and you are staring at the vending machine, again. Your brain refuses to stick to your diet regimen. Your focus is out of the picture. All you can think about are the sweets. Anything sweet to get through the rest of your day. And before you know, you are eating the sweet treat. Sounds familiar? Reaching for a snack right after lunch is more serious than it seems. It’s definitely not about your willpower. Dr Saurabh Sethi, a leading California-based gastroenterologist trained at Harvard and Stanford, has explained the reason why some people cannot stop snacking after lunch.According to Dr Sethi, this afternoon craving is often tied to your breakfast. “I had a patient who couldn't understand why she was raiding the vending machine every afternoon at 3 PM. She'd eat a ‘healthy’ breakfast of oatmeal with fruit, but by mid-afternoon, she was desperate for cookies and candy,” he said, in a recent newsletter.The doctor discovered the cause once he learned about her breakfast. “When I looked at her breakfast, I found the problem immediately. Zero protein,” he said.Eating the same food every day? Nutritionist explains what it secretly does to your gut bacteria over timeHantavirus outbreak raises questions: Doctors bust common myths and share factsCPR instructor suffers cardiac arrest mid-class; students save his life in secondsDr Sethi explained how people end up missing protein on their plates. That’s when a ‘healthy’ breakfast can backfire. “When you eat a breakfast that's mostly carbs (even healthy carbs like oatmeal), your blood sugar spikes and then crashes a few hours later. That crash is what's driving your afternoon cravings. A breakfast can look ‘healthy’ but still lead to cravings later,” he explained.This is exactly why adding protein to your breakfast is important. Dr Sethi also referred to multiple studies that suggest getting enough protein at breakfast has profound effects on what people eat the rest of the day.If you want to prevent afternoon snacking, eat more protein. According to Dr Sethi, when people ate high-protein breakfasts, they:Dr Sethi suggests getting 25-35 grams at breakfast“I try to get 25-35 grams of protein at every meal, especially breakfast. It sets up my entire day for success. Fix your breakfast. Watch your cravings disappear,” he said.So, if you find yourselves, obsess over snacks after lunch, try fixing your breakfast first!