Christine Gross-Loh, Author Of 'Parenting Without Borders,' Says American Parents Should Rethink Snacking

American parents usually have a stockpile of snacks for whenever their children get hungry. But are they really necessary?

Christine Gross-Loh, author of "Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around The World Can Teach Us," recently challenged that assumption during a segment on HuffPost Live. Gross-Loh said that an experience in Japan taught her that it's fine for children to go hungry from time to time.

"When I moved to Japan and my children went into a preschool in Japan, I found that the 3 year olds were having no snacks at all," Gross-Loh told HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd. "I was shocked. They were having no snacks between breakfast and lunch. I thought, 'How can they go that long?' I've been told they have these little bellies and they're going to break down and have tantrums and that actually didn't happen. They were able to get through the day."

Gross-Loh said that lesson challenged her to take a more common sense approach to her children's eating habits and made her curious to learn what other habits should be reconsidered.

Watch the full HuffPost Live discussion about what American parents can learn from others around the world.