U.S. Children: Generation Snack
Parents are raising a generation of snackers — kids who eat almost constantly throughout the day as they graze on cookies, salty snacks and fruit drinks.
A sweeping study of 31,337 children and adolescents released on Tuesday tracked snacking and meal trends from 1977 through 2006 using data from four national surveys. On average, children reach for cookies, chips and other treats about three times a day, consuming nearly 600 daily calories from snacks. That’s an increase of 168 snack calories compared with what children ate in the late 1970s.
While these are averages, the findings showed that half of American children snack about four times a day. And some children appear to be eating almost constantly, consuming either snacks or meals as often as 10 times a day, said Barry M. Popkin, co-author of the study and director of nutrition epidemiology at the University of North Carolina.
“My underlying fear is that we’re moving away from being hungry and eating for satiation to just eating,” said Dr. Popkin. “Food is there, and we eat.”
Young children have shown the biggest increases in snacking, with 2- to 6-year-olds consuming on average an extra 182 calories a day in snacks compared with children in the late 1970s, according to the report, published in this month’s issue of Health Affairs.
Although daily snack calories have increased by 168, overall daily eating during the study period increased by only 113 calories. This suggests that snacking has eroded meal time and that children are taking in slightly fewer calories during breakfast, lunch and dinner, when more healthful foods are typically served, because of their intense snacking habits. Overall, snacking now accounts for about 27 percent of an average child’s total daily calories.
Desserts like cookies and cakes remain the main source of snacking. Salty snacks like chips and pretzels have posted the biggest gains and are the second largest snack category. Candy and fruit drinks are also popular. One notable trend is that in the past few decades, fruit drinks have replaced whole fruit as a snack.
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