Are you a smart snacker?

 

In a time when Americans are rushing to get to work, school, appointments or soccer practice, nutritious food choices tend to be forgotten, and snacks often take the place of meals.

 

Snacking is often – perhaps in the interest of saving time – replacing meals for many Americans, according to Dr. Kristine Clark, Sports Nutrition Director at Pennsylvania State University, who lectured at the American College of Sports Medicine Fitness Summit in Atlanta last month.

 

 In national survey results reported in 1978, 77% of American adults said they regularly ate snacks; in 1996, that number had crept to 80%. Clark is willing to bet that the number of snackers has increased since then.  

College students may be especially unlikely to make wise food choices – even if they intend to eat a healthful diet.

 

When University of Georgia professor Dr. Robert Shewfelt’s  “Food Issues and Choices” class had its first meeting this semester, the students completed a survey about their own eating habits. Results showed that 80 percent of men and women reported the weight gain commonly known as the “Freshman 15.”   Students attributed this to late-night snacking (particularly take-out pizza), the freedom to eat whatever they wanted at meal times, and no serving limits  at the dining halls.  They also reported engaging in significantly less structured exercise than they had in high school.

 

 Part of the problem, Shewfelt said, is that irregular class schedules  make it difficult for students to eat at the same time every day, which is only made worse by the vending machines lurking around every corner.

 

Vending machines carry a variety of quick snack choices, such as candy bars, potato chips, and various breakfast snacks. Problems arise when people look only at the amount of calories in a package, but not the number of servings the package contains, said Shewfelt.  “Most people don’t stop at just one.” 

 

For the same reason, Shewfelt finds that 100 calorie snack packs are a good concept for those who might have just one, but the high carbohydrate and low protein contents make snackers more likely to open a second or third pack, since most 100 calorie snack packs lack nutrients that curb hunger. 

 

Cheetos, for example, may be only 100 calories per serving, but contain 4 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein, 180 milligrams of sodium and zero fiber, while FAGE yogurt contains 20 more calories, but also 20 grams of protein and 400 milligrams of calcium.

 

“Snacking is relatively new,” said Shewfelt.  “People got into the idea of snacking, and it’s almost like they think calories from snacks don’t count.”

 

But not all snacks are bad. “There are high calorie foods and beverages that people use as snacks as well as low calorie foods that actually have more nutritional contribution to the diet,” said Clark.

Clark believes the issue is not that people snack, but their choices of foods on which to snack.  A bag of Cheetos, she said, is usually more appealing than a bag of beef jerky, but the contents are much less nutritious.

 

“Students need something in their backpacks that is not big and that won’t spoil,” he said.  Fruits and vegetables are the best choices, he said, but energy bars and non-refrigerated pudding packs, all portion-controlled, are also good.

 

Both Shewfelt and Clark advocate for diets rich in protein, fat and fiber, which decrease a person’s glycemic index.  Choosing snacks that contain these nutrients slows digestion, slows the speed at which the stomach empties and keeps people feeling satisfied for longer periods of time, according to Clark.