The perception of a snack as a between meal filler has changed in modern times, as snacking has evolved into a fourth meal of the day. Busy lifestyles have driven people away from traditional mealtimes towards quick, convenient snack foods.
Weight management
The perception of a snack as a between meal filler has changed in modern times, as snacking has evolved into a fourth meal of the day. Busy lifestyles have driven people away from traditional mealtimes towards quick, convenient snack foods.
There are estimates that snacks can make up 20 - 30% of people’s kilojoule intake, with snack foods even sneaking their way into traditional mealtimes as accompaniments or replacements.
The impact that snacking can have on your waistline can vary dramatically depending on a number of variables, such as the quality of the snack, the portion size of the snack and the portion size of your other meals.
Snacking may help to prevent cravings and boost your energy levels, but it will only work to boost your health if your overall kilojoule intake does not increase. If the portion size of the snack itself is too large, or if the portion size of your other meals is not reduced to compensate for snacking, you may still end up consuming too many kilojoules.
Another problem is that it can be difficult to find healthy snack foods. Manufactured and packaged snack foods like potato crisps, chocolate bars and cake type muffins are readily available. These types of snack foods are usually high in fat, sugar, salt, and kilojoules, yet low in nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fibre.
"What’s more, the kilojoules from these foods don’t really fill you up compared to healthier alternatives. For example, a small chocolate bar has more kilojoules than five small apples, while a small 50 g packet of potato crisps has more kilojoules than eight cups of air-popped popcorn.
If you do get hungry between meals, it’s important to plan ahead. Take healthy snack foods with you, like fruit, nuts, seeds and low fat natural yoghurt. Try to moderate the portion sizes of both your snacks and your main meals so that snacking doesn’t have a negative impact on your weight."
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