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The Scoop on Snacking

By Britta Barrett | Posted March 2 2010

How often do you snack in between meals? Some trail mix here, a piece of candy there? If you have kids, you have snacks…likely an arsenal of them. In January, the NY Times ran a great piece by Jennifer Steinhauer that you may have missed. It found that the mandatory and constant demand for snacking has gotten out of hand.

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Referencing a national study, she says that between 1977 and 2002, “the percentage of the American population eating three or more snacks a day increased to 42% from 11%.” A massive leap.

The eating habits we develop when we’re young stick with us, so try to structure the snacking, especially with kids. Dietitian and family therapist Ellyn Satter recommends focusing on the what, when and where of feeding your kids. They’ll decide how much to eat. The key, she said, is to “end grazing.”

When you do snack, try to focus on your food. Eating in front of the TV or computer encourages mindless chomping away and leads to the inevitable feeling of surprise that comes after you just finished off that entire bag of potato chips.

What are your snacking tips?

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