Healthy Living

Friday, December 11, 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 51-60 of 77
  • Margaret's Avatar
    Posted by Margaret Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:19pm PDT

    I HATE the term, 'nosh'! Who the heck came up with this? Now I'm in a bad mood and must eat to eradicate this word from my brain.

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  • jules's Avatar
    Posted by jules Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:47pm PDT

    Wow, someone actually mentioned popcorn with nutritional yeast - I thought I was alone!

    ANY frozen fruit (the great big already-frozen bags at Sam's club) - I like berries and peaches. I'm not much of a sweet tooth and I would usually rather have fruit than any candy.

    I crave the salty -- classic Lays, chips & salsa . . .

    And I can eat the heck out of some veggies & hummus!!!

    Also, if I don't need food, I just grab one slice of cheese or a pickle from the fridge (weird, I know, I wonder how I'll be when I'm preggers!).

    Meal-wise I crave chinese, sushi, and hot dogs. And I need to find some kind of BBQ chain that actually has Carolina BBQ . . .

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  • __A_YAHOO_USER__'s Avatar
    Posted by __A_YAHOO_USER__ Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:34pm PDT

    I like Balance yogurt peanut and honey bars, South Beach caramel bars, canteloupe, watermelon, natural pnut butter on low fat cracker..., I try to stay away from chips, I love em tho...but the baked ones, they have olestra, and Olestra may not have fat, but do you know that while it is not fattening....the compounds in it also flush out your nutrients, so watch that one. few ok, not the whole bag. Fresh squeezed lemon in water with splenda promote weight loss, lemons speed metabolism, and help burn fat...especially use cup of warm water and make a lemon tea...helps break down fat in bloodstream.

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  • Emily's Avatar
    Posted by Emily Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:47pm PDT

    i have an addiction to peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches, thankfully they're not fried elvis style, but man to they do the trick to work as a meal!! but they have to be on whole wheat bread, i switched from white bread when i was a kid and can't stand it anymore!!

    as for guilty pleasure snacking, ruffles and onion dip is the most irresistible combo for me, to the point of i can't buy it unless we're entertaining and i know i won't be able to eat it all.

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  • Joe R's Avatar
    Posted by Joe R Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:00pm PDT

    Found a great snack for those of us that can't have SALT while snacking. Terra BBQ chips(NO SALT ADDED) and Food Should Taste Good's Jalepeno chips-WATCH OUT-these things are AMAZING and almost 90% less sodium than regular chips. I found them on my fav site www.heartwisefood.com Try them and let me know what you think- they also have dried APPLE HARVEST that is a great on the go snack-I keep one in my car almost always! ENJOY!!!

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  • kitty's Avatar
    Posted by kitty Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:38am PDT

    oh, just gimme a break

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  • ChristineS's Avatar
    Posted by ChristineS Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:06am PDT

    i absolutely love food and snacking! i really cant help myself when it comes to cereal, especially. it doenst matter what kind. raisin bran, cocoa pebbles, cornflakes, specialk, granola, rice krispies, cookiecrisp, -ANYTHING! i just cant control myself. thats why i dont buy it too often:) i also love yogurt and frozen yogurt. pretzels are another high on the list, but not chips. i love crackers, though. fruits are great too. a nice shiny apple or some grapes.. actually any kind of fruit at all. chocolate is a no-no for me. whenever i start snacking on something chocolatey, i end up eating the whole thing. ^^;;

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  • ChristineS's Avatar
    Posted by ChristineS Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:11am PDT

    also i cannot resist bread. bread, bread, bread. i am crazy about it. whole wheat, white, pastries, rolls, cupcakes, muffins, anything. its not very healthy and theyre easy to chow down and overindulge in :/

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  • Gizmo1's Avatar
    Posted by Gizmo1 Fri Jul 3, 2009 6:34pm PDT

    Okay, already. So you are all healthy and just love carrot sticks and rice cakes. (and have a h--- of a lot more willpower than I do). Now let's talk about the REAL you. How many boxes of doughnuts, bags of chips, whole cakes and pies do you have to consume to be so disgusted with yourself to be so darn good? Now that's what I would like to know. I have been up and down the scales so many times I'm dizzy! By the way, CONGRATULATIONS to all of you who have it all pulled together. I will try again.

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