The average American gets about 23 percent of daily calories from snacks. That can be good or bad, depending on what and when you’re eating.
On Nutrition
What’s your snacking IQ?
Ask a dozen people what they think of snacking, and you’ll likely get a dozen answers. It ruins your appetite. It helps you avoid getting too hungry between meals. It’s a great way to fit more veggies into your day. It’s an excuse to eat candy and chips. It helps you avoid weight gain. It makes you gain weight. It’s a nice little fuel break in your day. It’s something to help pass the time while you watch TV.
Each of these answers is part of the snacking habits of average Americans — for better or for worse. Research has identified two major types of snackers:
• Individuals who snack several times a day in response to true hunger. This type of snacking, which likely happens at regular times, allows adjustment of food intake from day to day, depending on the body’s needs. These snackers tend to be younger, healthy and lean.
• Individuals who choose snacks high in salt, sugar or fat and tend to snack at irregular times in response to environmental stimuli — not because of hunger. Snacking while watching TV is common. This type of snacking is not in response to the body’s needs, so it tends to lead to weight gain and poor nutrition.
According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), in the early 1970s, the average man got 502 of his daily calories from snacks, the average woman got 296.
Jump forward 40 years, and those numbers increase to 634 calories for men and 438 for women.
Today, fewer Americans eat three meals a day, but most of us snack. In fact, 2 of 3 Americans eat two or more snacks each day. We get about 23 percent of our calories from snacks — twice the average calories eaten at breakfast and about the same as the average lunch calories.
When are we doing this snacking? If you tend to eat both lunch and dinner, there’s a 2 in 3 chance that you eat a snack in between, and a similar chance that you eat a snack between dinner and bedtime. Only about 1 in 3 of us snack between breakfast and lunch.
It’s true that many snack foods and beverages are high in fat, salt, sugar and refined grains, providing extra calories but minimal nutrition. However, NHANES data suggest that snacks are often more nutritious than that — for instance, fruit, nuts, seeds, whole grains and milk.
Snacking can either work for you or against you. Considering that snacks are making up more and more of our daily calories, it’s worth understanding how to snack smartly.
Smart snackers use snacks to include more nutrition in their day, combining some quality carbohydrates with a little protein and fat for staying power; for example, an apple and a small handful of nuts, Greek yogurt and berries, raw veggies and hummus. They use well-timed snacks to take the edge off hunger so they’re not ravenous when the next meal comes.
Not-so-smart snackers choose high-calorie, high-carb, nutrient-poor foods and eat whether or not they are hungry, often grazing on whatever’s available. Their excessive snacking may mean they may rarely feel true hunger.
Do your snacking habits need a tuneup? Keep a food log for a week or two. You may be surprised at what you learn!
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