Healthy Living

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The big snack survey of women


OK, all you nibblers – it’s time to test your snacking smarts. A few questions… When do most people snack? What are the most popular munchies? The ones hardest to resist?

Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart magazine surveyed 1,000 women about their snacking habits. So grab a quick healthy bite and check out the results:

ShopSmart’s Snacking Survey

Snack Time!
3% snack before breakfast
43% eat something between breakfast and lunch
74% snack between lunch and dinner
45% grab a bite after dinner
25% nosh before bedtime
23% munch in the middle of the night


Why snack?
53% of women say snacking has kept them from gaining weight
24% say it has helped them with their diet

Portion Control
54% of women who snack buy portion-controlled treats
33% use plastic bags to control portion sizes


Problem Snacking
94% said they munch even when they are not hungry

Top snacks
Fruit
Chips/pretzels
Cereal/granola energy bars

Snacks we can’t resist
24% said chocolate
19% said chips and pretzels

I’m a big snacker myself, but I tend to stick to healthy bites. Some of my favorite munchies are carrots with hummus, whole wheat crackers with light cheese, protein smoothies, nuts, yogurt, popcorn, fruit – so many!

What are your snacking habits?

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[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]
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From the Community…

Comments 11-20 of 77
  • Ashley's Avatar
    Posted by Ashley Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:35am PDT

    Cherries are a great snack....soak them in a bowl of ice water for about 30 mins, so they get crisp on the outside. they are wonderful...p.s. not cherries from a jar!

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  • Superwoman's Avatar
    Posted by Superwoman Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:38am PDT

    I LOVE junk food

    Report Abuse
  • heba's Avatar
    Posted by heba Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:40am PDT

    i always snack at night and it is always chocolate.... am i an addict??

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  • Emily J's Avatar
    Posted by Emily J Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:49pm PDT

    I have this crazy addiction to carrots, I LOVE them, I eat large carrots, baby carrots, I think they've helped me lose some weight, Just because I'm choosing them over things like chips and other bad food.

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  • Gizmo1's Avatar
    Posted by Gizmo1 Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:57pm PDT

    Cherries are good frozen, too but don't forget the pits!

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  • Gizmo1's Avatar
    Posted by Gizmo1 Sat Jun 27, 2009 1:04pm PDT

    I take Ambien at night to sleep. Well...if you have ever heard stories about Ambien eating, etc., they are true! I take a very small dose, so I know what I'm doing, but I have amnesia for the event until I find crumbs on the counter in the a.m. When this happens I eat a whole bunch of calories that I normally would not have. bummer!!

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  • Michelle's Avatar
    Posted by Michelle Sat Jun 27, 2009 1:57pm PDT

    I eat HEALTHY CHOCOLATE! Yes Ladies it DOES exist..it's called XOCAI and it's pure unadulterated Dark Chocolate. The health benefits are incredible all the way from Diabetes, heart function, helps controll your metabolisim, gives more natural energy. I have already lost weight, because eating this chocolate naturally helps with sugary food cravings..check it out for yourselves..http://mxi.myvoffice.com/michelleanderson .

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  • Lizbeth's Avatar
    Posted by Lizbeth Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:01pm PDT

    Every night, no matter what I've eaten during the day, I enjoy a bowl of airpopped popcorn with butter and salt.

    I used to eat lots of cereal (cheerios, corn flakes, kashi, mini wheats)with soymilk, but the calories add up too fast and it's hard for me to stop at one cup of something sweet and crunchy. So now I abstain from it alltogether.

    I've also stopped eating chocolate chip cookies, since I have yet to find the perfect cookie; they're either too hard/soft, not sweet enough, too sweet, chips are too or too small, too much crap ingredients, too vegan or too healthy and thus taste like arrowroot flour or chalk or some sort of carob powder.

    Basically all food has become unejoyable/dangerous and off limits except egg whites, popcorn, greek yogurt, vegetables and diet coke.

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  • Una's Avatar
    Posted by Una Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:07pm PDT

    So many healthy options: celery sticks w/ 1 tbsp no-sugar added peanut butter, small handful of almonds w/ some pear slices and 1/2 light Babybell cheese, or sliced cucumber w/ 1-2 tbsp hummus.

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  • AddictedtoTattoos's Avatar
    Posted by AddictedtoTattoos Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:45pm PDT

    When I get a chocolate craving, I go for the sugar free fudge pops. Low cal, no sugar so that bit of nastiness is out of the way, and so very chocolate-y :)

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