Snacks

What is a snack? When the word “snack” is mentioned, a mental picture comes to mind, but from a nutritional standpoint, there is no consistent definition. Nutritional scientists who study snacks generally define snacks as foods eaten between meals, but snacks can also be defined as foods not intended to be eaten as meals. Some scientists consider only foods as snacks, whereas others include beverages consumed either with the foods or alone. Thus, there is nothing that characterizes a “snack food,” and foods thought of as snack foods can actually be eaten with or between meals.

Snack foods can be characterized as salty, savory, sweet, and high fat or energy dense. Moreover, snack foods vary depending on a person's ethnicity, race, or the country of residence. ...