THE
STORY
SNACKING
ON
1
snacks can make a day better
Whether we’re running out the door in the morning, rushing
to meetings, or picking up the kids from school, we’re busier
than ever. So it’s only natural that what – and how - we
eat has changed. Today, snacking is practically a way of life.
Snacks account for
more than
An average of
30
%
more people snack
now than they did in
the 1970sii when
the average American
ate only one snack
a day and 40 percent
of adults and teens
didn’t even snack at all.i,ii
90
%
of adults snack at least
once dailyii and nearly
half of adults snack two
or three times a day.ii
30
%
of all foods consumed
daily in Brazil and India,
and in the UK and Ireland
people snack two to three
times each day.
45
%
of people throughout
the world eat snacks as
an alternative to meals.
In the pages that follow we’ve gathered the latest evidence-based research as well as tips for making snacks work for every
lifestyle. We hope that The Story on Snacking will provide a valuable resource for snacking deliciously and sensibly.
Number of times people snack each day
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
No Snacks
1 Time
2-3 Times
Graph Source: Mintel Group. “Snacking Motivations and Attitudes, US – April 2015.”
iii
4-5 Times
5+ Times
2
snacking on the rise
Are snacks the new mini meals?
In addition to snacking more frequently, some people are
also using snacks as a replacement for traditional meals.
In 2015, 20 percent of people surveyed believed that it’s
healthier to snack throughout the day than to eat three
square meals.iii The trend of snacks as mini meals is gaining
so much steam that many people are often eating snacks at
home instead of meals.iv “Super snackers,” or adults who
snack four or more times a day, are especially likely to snack
throughout the day instead of eating three square meals.iii
The types of foods people prefer to snack on are
changing as well. According to the research firm
DataEssential, between 19 to 45 percent of people
surveyed said that they are interested in snack sized
versions of foods that are traditionally eaten as, or
with, a meal such as salads, soups, pastas, sandwiches,
burgers, pizzas, breakfast foods and desserts.v
3
snack facts
Why we love to snack
People snack for lots of different reasons.
Often it’s for energy or to curb hunger
between meals. However, people also snack
for reasons that are purely emotional such
as boredom, stress or simply because they
want a treat. Consumers also snack for
nutrition too. According to a 2014 Nielsen
report, 66 percent of people surveyed
listed nutrition as one of their top reasons
for snacking.vi
What are the most common snacks?
1 Fresh fruit
2 Chocolate 3 Potato & tortilla chips 4 Bread & sandwiches
5 Cheese
6 Ice cream
7 Vegetables
8 Yogurt
9 Cookies
10 Nuts and seeds
1 Chocolate & candy bars
2 Fresh fruit 3 Granola bars 4 Candy (not chocolate)
5 Donuts & cookies
6 Nutrition & protein bars
7 Potato chips
8 Nuts
18
18
%
14
%
Snack choices can vary depending on the time, place
or occasion. When it comes to snacking, these are the
foods people reach for first:vii
Convenience matters
Today’s busy schedules often mean lots of snacking on
the run. For snacking-on-the-go people are most likely
to seek out these convenient, grab-and-go foods.viii
who’s snacking?
Snacks aren’t just for kids. From children to older adults,
people of all ages are snacking in similar amounts:
Percent of the
snacking population
17
%
Older men
%
Older women
17
%
Women
Source: NPD Group. “Trend-Size of Between Meal Snacking”
16
%
Teens
Children
Men
4
when do snacks happen?
A snack can happen any place, any time, from early
morning until late at night. Snacks can be planned or they
can happen on the spur of the moment. Roughly 55%
of snacks are completely spontaneous.v The time of day
also matters. Scheduled snacks are more likely to take
place in the morning while more spontaneous snacks
usualy occur in the afternoon.v Today, some people
are inceasingly eating snacks as mini-meals instead
of breakfast or lunch. Here’s when people are most
likely to snack:
Times people are most
likely to snack
17%
20%
Other
Between breakfast
and lunch
42%
7%
Between lunch
and dinner
In place of lunch
14%
Source: NPD Group.
“Bites of Insights:
On-the-Go Snacking” vi
In place of breakfast
Since 2010, people are snacking more often at all times throughout the day, from morning through evening, with
afternoon taking top honors as the most popular snack time:
Change in snacking frequency since 2010
2010
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Early morning
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Source: Information Resources Inc. “State of the Snack Food Industry.” March 19, 2015. – p. 14
iv
Late evening
2015
5
who benefits from snacking?
Snacks do more than deliver great taste and satisfy hunger. They also provide energy and
can supply important nutrients for:
Physically active children
and adolescents
Physically active children require sufficient energy and
protein to fuel their growth and development. Because
children store less carbohydrate than adults, they burn
more fat during exercise.xvi,xvii A post-sports snack such as
yogurt with nuts or graham crackers with peanut butter
can help replace fat, protein, carbohydrate and calories
that are burned during training.
Teenagers
A study of 4,357 adolescents found that vitamin C,
vitamin E and magnesium intakes were increased as
teenage boys increased their snacking. Additionally,
girls who snacked more often had greater intakes of
vitamin C.xviii
Adults who work out
Exercising adults require carbohydrates for energy. As a
result, sports nutrition experts recommend a pre-exercise
snack or meal that is rich in carbohydrates three to
four hours before exercise,xix such as a banana or a granola
bar. After exercise, a snack containing carbohydrates
plus protein can help refuel and repair muscles,xx like a
bowl of cereal with low-fat milk.
6
want better nutrition? here’s how snacks can help
Snacks can provide important nutrients
It can be hard to eat right at every meal. When meals
don’t supply all the nutrition people need, certain
snacks can help fill those nutritional gaps. A recent study
found that adults who snacked on fruits, vegetables,
legumes, grains and crackers and salty snacks as well
as miscellaneous snacks had better diet quality than
people who didn’t snack at all. The varied snacking
patterns were also shown to help people obtain fiber,
when compared to people who didn’t snack.x
Snack time can be an opportunity to focus on foods that
provide important nutrients that many people don’t get enough
of at meals, such as fiber from grains, potassium from fruits
and vegetables and calcium and vitamin D from dairy products.
xi
think grain-based snacks
Getting the right nutrition each day helps our bodies work their best.
Grains contain:
B vitamins
Fiber
Phytonutrients
Carbohydrates, the
main energy source for
our body and muscles.
Minerals
Protein, the building
block of all cells.
All are important for a healthy diet.
7
Snacks and weight management
Snacks provide roughly a quarter of the
average person’s daily calories, with
snackers frequently consuming more calories
than non-snackers.xxi Even though people
who snack take in more calories, they aren’t
necessarily more likely to be overweight
or obese. In fact, adults who have a normal
body mass (BMI) eat a similar number of
snacks in a day as those who are overweight
or obese. Teens who snack two, three or
four times a day are found to have a similar
BMI as those who snack once a day or don’t
snack at all.
A growing body of evidence suggests that snacks may help
protect against overweight and obesity when they are part of
a diet that includes more small, frequent meals.
Studies find that children who eat frequently throughout
the day may be less likely to be overweight and may
have smaller waists compared to children who eat three
or fewer times a day.xxii,xxiii,xxiv,xxv,xxvi Emerging research also
suggests that eating more often throughout the day
may be associated with lower BMI and smaller waists
in men.xxvii,xxviii
This research would suggest that eating more, smaller meals
throughout the day may be associated with a reduced
risk of being overweight or obese when compared to fewer,
larger meals. This may also be influenced by the fact that
people who eat smaller meals may also have other healthy
eating and physical activity habits. Additionally, a study in
adults living in the US and UK found that greater intake of
calories in the evening relative to intake in the morning
was associated with a higher BMI suggesting when you eat
calories may be important.xxvii
It is important to remember that most of the studies that
have been discussed above have allowed the participants
to report their own food intake and, as this is a very difficult
task, it sometimes results in reports of eating fewer calories
than one actually eats. Additionally, a dietary practice
followed by many who are overweight or obese and are
trying to lose weight is to eliminate meals from their daily
diets, resulting in reports of fewer meals in a day compared
with those who are not attempting to lose weight.
8
the benefits of mindful snacking
Snacking can be a helpful way to improve nutrition, satisfy hunger or simply enjoy a treat.
However, when people are busy it can be difficult to pay attention to what – and how much–
they’re eating, or what’s known as mindful eating. Helping people understand how to eat
more mindfully, or to focus on the tastes, aromas and textures of food, as well as how much
they’re eating, can help them to slow down. When they do, they may be less likely to eat
too much too quickly and more likely to enjoy their food.
Make it mindful
These tips can help people eat more mindfully:
Unplug Eating without the distraction of a computer
helps people stay in touch with their feelings of fullness.
In a recent study, researchers divided volunteers into
two groups: One group ate lunch without distraction while
the other played a game of solitaire on computers while
they ate. Afterwards, the solitaire players reported feeling
significantly less full than the group that focused on
eating their lunch, even though both groups ate the same
amount of food. The group playing solitaire also ate more
food when they were offered a snack a half-hour later.xxxvii
Is a drink a good snack?
Snacks aren’t always solid foods. They can also be
drinks like smoothies, shakes, lattes or milk. However,
research reveals that it can be easy to consume extra
calories from liquids because people tend to drink
them quickly and don’t compensate for the extra
calories by eating less later in the day.xliii,xliv To make
the most of liquid snacks, encourage people to be
aware of the calories in their favorite beverages,
eliminate a future snack, sip drinks slowly and choose
those that are thicker and high in fibers or protein.
Because certain fibers and protein are sometimes
digested slowly, they may help people stay full
longer.xlv,xlvi,xlvii
Become a master of portion control Portioning snacks
onto plates or into bowls, rather than eating out of the bag,
box or container can increase people’s awareness of how
much they eat, and also decrease the likelihood that they’ll
continue to eat until the package is empty.xxxviii For times
when eating out of the package is the only option, choosing
a single-serve container rather than a large, multi-serve bag
or box can also be helpful.xxxix
Turn off the TV This is another way for parents to reconnect
with their kids and an easy way to improve family health
and nutrition. Research reveals that people tend to eat more
[and feel less hungry] when they’re watching TV and
not paying attention to their eating.xl What’s more, a recent
study of adolescents, ages 9 to 16, found that the more
television children and teens watched and the more video
games they played, the more sweets and salty snacks,
and fewer fruits and vegetables, they ate.xli
Slow down, enjoy food and listen to your body’s hunger
and fullness signals. Researchers in one study fed women
two identical meals and asked them to eat one meal quickly
and the other one slowly. The women who ate slowly
reported feeling more full, yet consumed less food overall.xlii
9
size it right
these right-sized snacks provide easy portion control:
1 cup unsweetened
applesauce
+ ¼ cup Special K
Low-Fat Granola
®
1 Special K® Cranberry
Almond Nourish Bar
1 apple + 2 tablespoons
peanut butter
1 Pringles Original
Single-Serve
Tub + guacamole,
bean dip, or salsa
®
Carrot sticks
and
hummus
27 Cheez-It®
baked crackers
1 Nutri-Grain® Soft Baked
Breakfast Bar
1 single-serve
container of
low-fat yogurt
+ 1 sliced banana
2 Keebler ® Simply Made®
chocolate chip cookies
10
size it right
Snacking can be an opportunity to enjoy a small treat in a moment of delight. Even though
snacks of all kinds can fit into a healthy, balanced diet, it’s important to keep portion size
in mind to help keep calories in check. Ideally, snacks should be just large enough to satisfy
hunger yet small enough to complement other meals. If snacks become too big, they can
provide more calories than people need.
Did you know?
Research reveals that smaller snack portions are
just as satisfying as larger portions. Researchers
at Cornell University offered volunteers large and
small portioned snacks, containing either 1,370
calories or 195 calories, respectively to evaluate
certain characteristics of the foods. Those eating
the larger portion sizes, although not finishing
the snacks, ate 103 more calories, yet didn’t report
feeling any more full or satisfied than the those
eating the smaller snack sizes.xlviii
Make portion control easy!
Try these tips to promote portion awareness:
The portion that a person serves themselves isn’t always the same as the serving size listed on the Nutrition Facts Panel. To keep serving size in check, review the Nutrition Facts Panel to help people learn to identify the size of a single serving and the number of servings a package contains.
•
When possible, recommend snacks that are pre-portioned into a single serving.
•
For times when people know in advance that
they will be snacking on-the-go, show them how
to measure out a single-serving with measuring cups or a kitchen scale and how to pack these in individual containers or zip top bags.
•
For snacking away from home, show people how to eyeball appropriate serving sizes. You can do this by comparing standard serving sizes to everyday objects such as a baseball for a 1-cup serving or a tennis ball for a ½ cup serving.
•
11
high impact snacking
Snacking on nutritious foods is an easy –
and tasty – way for people to improve
the quality of their diets. No wonder
more and more people are looking for
healthier snacks:
•
Roughly one-third of participants in a 2015 Mintel
survey said that they were limiting sweet snacks
and choosing healthier snacks than they did a
year ago.iii
According to a 2014 Nielsen report many consumers are seeking out snacks that are made with whole grains, high in fiber, naturally flavored, low in sugar and free of high fructose corn syrup.vii
Nutrition know-how
These snacks deliver a quick – and tasty – nutritional boost:
Milk, yogurt and cheese
provide calcium and
potassium for strong
bones and protein to
help build muscle.xlvii
•
Cereal is a smart snack
Cereal isn’t just for breakfast. Snacking on a bowl of
cereal and milk can provide key nutrients. One study
reported that cereal eaters had higher intakes of
10 important nutrientsli including those that many
people don’t consume enough of such as calcium
and fiber.xlvii Choosing a cereal with three or more
grams of fiber per serving can help people obtain
more of this nutrient, which 90 percent of people
in the United States fall short of.lii
Rich in complex carbohydrates, cereal additionally
delivers long lasting energy, making it the perfect snack
for recharging. When paired with milk, it provides
protein, a nutrient that must be replenished daily to
help build healthy cells and strong muscles. And cereal
contains less sugar than you might think. Less than
four percent of the daily added sugar intake in the
United States comes from ready-to-eat cereals.xlvii
Cereal, cereal bars and
crackers may contain fiber
that may help support
digestive health and may
promote satiety. xlvii
Fruits and vegetables also
deliver fiber. They additionally
supply potassium which helps
attenuate the effects of
sodium on blood pressure.xlvii
Plus, diets low in saturated
fat and cholesterol and rich
in fruits, and vegetables and
grain products that contain
some types of dietary fiber
may also reduce the risk of
heart disease and some types
of cancer.xlvii
Nuts, nut butters and seeds
supply heart-healthy mono
and polyunsaturated fats
and vitamin E.xlvii Scientific
evidence suggests but does
not prove that eating 1.5
ounces of most nuts as part
of a diet low in saturated fats
and cholesterol may reduce
the risk of heart disease.
12
build a
smarter snack
It can be helpful to think of
snacks as mini meals: The
more food groups they
contain, the greater their
potential nutritional
benefits. These are just a
few ways to work even
more nutrition into snacks:
Add ¼ cup strawberries to a
bowl of cereal with low fat milk.
Nutrition bonus! Vitamin C
Add 1 ounce sliced lean deli
turkey to a serving of crackers.
Nutrition bonus! Protein
Add 1 tablespoon flax or
chia seeds to a smoothie.
Nutrition bonus! Fiber
Add 2 tablespoons chopped
nuts to yogurt.
Nutrition bonus! Heart-healthy
mono and polyunsaturated fats
Add ¼ cup of cottage
cheese to graham crackers.
Nutrition bonus! Protein
and calcium
Add 2 tablespoons sunflower
seeds to a serving of popcorn.
Nutrition bonus! Vitamin E
From providing nourishment to a simple moment
of delight, snacks can help make a day better. At Kellogg,
we’re passionate about making delicious foods that
are people’s first choice whenever and wherever they snack.
We are continually developing superior snack
foods that provide more of what people want and need
and less of what they are trying to reduce. That’s
why we seek the finest ingredients that are sustainably grown
and responsibly sourced. Whether you’re
snacking for nutrition, for great taste or simply for fun, our
goal is to produce a wide variety of delicious,
high quality snacks from the very best ingredients.
14
references
Snacks can make a day better
i USDA Food Surveys Research Group. “Snacking Patterns of
US Adolescents. What We Eat in America, NHANES 20052006.”
ii USDA Food Surveys Research Group. “Snacking Patterns
of US Adults. What We Eat in America, NHANES 20072008.”
Snacking on the rise
iii Mintel Group. “Snacking Motivations and Attitutes – US –
April 2015.”
iv Information Resources Inc. “State of the Snack Food
Industry.” March 19, 2015.
v DataSsential. “Snack Attack.” 2014/2015.
Snack facts
vi Nielsen. “Insatiable Snackers: How to Take a Bite out of
the U.S. Snacking Demand.” December 8, 2014.
vii Nielsen. “Snack Attack: What Consumers are Reaching
for Around the World.” November 2014.
viii NPD Group. “Bites of Insights: On-the-Go Snacking.”
Vol. 35, October 2014.
ix NPD Group. “Trend Size of Between Meal Snacking.”
Looking for better nutrition?
Here’s how snacks can help.
x Nicklas TA et al. “Snacking patterns, diet quality and
cardiovascular risk factors in adults.” BMC Public Health.
2014; 14: 388.
xi Kellogg Company internal report. “Snacking Report:
NHANES 2009-2010/2011-2012 Data.”
Who benefits from snacking?
xvi Jeukendrup A, Cronin L. Nutrition and elite young
athletes. Med Sport Sci. 2011; 56:47-58.
xvii Meyer F, O’Connor H, Shirreffs SM, Nutrition for the
young athlete. J Sports Sci. 2007; 25:S73-S82.
xviii Sebastian RS, Cleveland LE, Goldman JD. Effect of
Snacking Frequency on Adolescents’ Dietary Intakes and
Meeting National Recommendations. J Adolescent Health.
2008; 42 (5):503-511.
xix Hargreaves M. Pre-exercise nutritional strategies: effects
on metabolism and performance. Can J Appl Physiol. 2001;
26suppl:S64-S70.
xx Betts JA, Williams C. Short-term recovery from prolonged
exercise: exploring the potential for protein ingestion to
accentuate the benefits of carbohydrate supplements.
Sports Med. 2010;
40 (11) :941-959.
Snacks may help with weight management
i USDA Food Surveys Research Group. “Snacking Patterns of
US Adolescents. What We Eat in America, NHANES 20052006.”
ii USDA Food Surveys Research Group. “Snacking Patterns
of US Adults. What We Eat in America, NHANES 20072008.”
xxi Piernas C and Popkin BM. “Trends in Snacking Among
U.S. Children.” Health Aff (Millwood). 2010; 29 (3): 398-404.
xxii Lioret S, Touvier M, Lafay L, Volatier JL, Maire B. Are
eating occasions and their energy content related to child
overweight and socioeconomic status? Obesity (Silver
Spring). 2008; 16:2518-2523.
xiii Six Things Message Series.pdf
xxiii Toschke AM, Küchenhoff H, Koletzko B, von Kries R.
Meal frequency and childhood obesity. Obes Res. 2005;
13:1932-1938.
xiv US National Library of Medicine: Medline Plus. “B
Vitamins.” http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bvitamins.
html
xxiv Toschke AM, Thorsteinsdottir KH, von Kries R; GME
Study Group. Meal frequency, breakfast consumption and
childhood obesity. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2009; 4:242-248.
xv US National Library of Medicine: Medline Plus. “Fiber.”
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002470.
htm
xxv Barba G, Troiano E, Russo P, Siani A; ARCA Project Study
group. Total fat, fat distribution and blood pressure according
to eating frequency in children living in southern Italy: the
ARCA project. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006; 30:1166-1169.
xii Brody T. Nutritional Biochemistry. 1994: Academic Press.
15
references
xxvi Mota J, Fidalgo F, Silva R, Ribeiro JC, Santos R,
Carvalho J, Santos MP. Relationships between physical
activity, obesity and meal frequency in adolescents. Ann
Hum Biol. 2008; 35:1-10.
xlv Samra RA and Anderson GH. “Insoluble cereal fiber
reduces appetite and short-term food intake and glycemic
response to food consumed 75 minutes later by healthy
men.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2007; 86 (4): 972-9.
xxvii Aljuraiban GS et al. “The impact of eating frequency
and time of intake on nutrient quality and body mass index:
The INTERMAP Study, a population-based study.” JAND.
2015; 115 (4): 528-536.
xlvi Veldhorst M et al. “Protein-induced satiety: effects and
mechanisms of different proteins.” Physiol Behav. 2008; 94
(2): 300-7.
xxviii Smith KJ, Blizzard L, McNaughton SA, Gall SL, Dwyer
T,
Venn AJ. “Daily eating frequency and cardiometabolic risk
factors in young Australian adults: cross-sectional analyses.”
Br J Nutr. 2012; 108: 1086-1094.
The benefits of mindful snacking
xxxvii Oldham-Cooper RE et al. “Playing a computer game
during lunch affects fullness, memory for lunch, and later
snack intake.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2011: 93 (2): 308-313.
xxxviii Wansink B et al. “Bottomless bowls: Why visual cues
of portion size may influence intake.” Obesity Research.
2005: 13 (1): 93-100.
xxxix Stroebele N et al. “Do calorie-controlled portion sizes
of snacks reduce energy intake?” Appetite. 2009: 52 (3):
793-796.
xl Braude L and Stevenson RJ. “Watching television while
eating increases energy intake. Examining the mechanisms
in female participants.” Appetite. 2014; 76: 9-16.
xli Falbe J et al. “Longitudinal relations of television,
electronic games and digital versatile discs with changes in
diet in adolescents.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2014: 100 (4): 11791181.
xlii Andrade AM et al. “Eating slowly led to decreases in
energy intake within meals in healthy women.” J Am Diet
Assoc. 2008: 108 (7): 1186-1191.
xliii Zijlstra N et al. “The effect of viscosity on ad libitum food
intake.” Int J Obes. 2008: 32 (4): 676-683.
xliv Hogenkamp PS et al. “Repeated consumption of a large
volume of liquid and semi-solid foods increases ad libitum
intake, but does not change expected satiety.” Appetite.
2012: 59 (2): 419-424.
xlvii U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, 7th Edition.
Size it right
xlviii Van Kleef E et al. “Just a bite: Considerably smaller
snack portions satisfy delayed hunger and craving.” Food
Quality and Preference. 2013; 27 (1): 96-100.
High impact snacking
iii Mintel Group. “Snacking Motivations and Attitudes – US –
April 2015.”
vii Nielsen. “Snack Attack: What Consumers are Reaching
for Around the World.” November 2014.
xlvii U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, 7th Edition.
l National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary
Supplements. “Vitamin E: Fact Sheet for Health
Professionals.”
li O’Neil, CE, M. Zanovec, TA Nicklas and SS Cho (2012)
Presweetened and Nonpresweetened Ready-to-Eat Cereals
at Breakfast Are Associated With Improved Nutrient Intake
but Not With Increased Body Weight of Children and
Adolescents: NHANES 1999–2002. Am J Lifestyle Med.
6(1):63–74.
lii United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural
Research Service. “What We Eat in America, NHANES
2001-2002: Usual Nutrient Intakes from Food Compared to
Dietary Reference Intakes.” September 2005.
liii FDA. “How to understand and use the Nutrition Facts
Label.” http://www.fda.gov/Food/
IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/
ucm274593.htm.
®,™, © 2016 Kellogg NA Co.