Mindless Snacking: The Number of Calories You Consume in Daily Snacks May Surprise You

Mealtimes aren’t always the problem. While many Americans carefully plan well-rounded breakfasts, lunches and dinners, they often undermine those efforts by ignoring what they eat during the periods in between. “We don’t really think about it the same way that we think about our meals,” says Christopher Taylor, professor of medical dietetics at the Ohio State University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. 

Taylor and a team of researchers recently put this snacking conundrum in stark relief. In a study published in the academic journal PLOS Global Public Health, they analyzed survey data from more than 20,000 people from 2005 to 2016, revealing that adult Americans eat a meal’s worth of calories of snacks per day—an intake that offered little nutritional value. The most common snacks were fatty and carb-heavy treats and sweets, with vegetables at the bottom of the list. 

While Americans’ propensity to snack is no surprise, the study quantifies the problem, revealing just how bad it is. “If we went to a restaurant and ordered a meal of our snacks, you kind of would be appalled,” says Taylor, the senior study author. 

Interestingly, the study found that survey participants with Type 2 diabetes ate fewer sugary foods and snacked less overall than other participants. “This is an indication that some of our diabetes education is getting through into actionable strategies for snacking,” Taylor says. 

Taylor encourages people to be more intentional with their snacks, duplicating what many do with their meals: “If you have candy sitting in a bowl, you’re likely to grab it on the way by. If you don’t have fruit at home, you’re not going to eat it if it’s not available.”

This story is from the March 2024 issue of Columbus Monthly.