Whether it's a custard cream with a cup of tea or a bag of salt and vinegar crisps that takes our fancy, as a nation we love to snack. Whether it's biscuits, crisps, chocolate or sweets -- we just can't resist and although this is good news for the snack industry, it's not so good for our waistlines.
The prevalence of adult obesity in the country is the highest in the European Union and one of the highest in the Western world. The blame, alongside the usual reasons of too little exercise, too much fast food and too much alcohol, has come to rest, at least in part, in the national addiction to snacking.
The shocking truth of British snack habits is that we eat a tonne of crisps every three minutes and the average person eats 150 packets every year.
A typical 35g packet of crisps contains 2.5tsp of oil, which means that Brits swill 112,500,000 litres of oil each year - just from crisp consumption. Add chocolate, sweets and biscuits to the equation, and it's plain to see why snack-happy Britain is fighting the battle of the bulge.
Why we snack is a complex issue and it's not just because our taste buds respond with a satisfied 'Mmmm' to sweet or salty treats. Packaging, associations with particular emotions, the habits of those we spend time with, not realising how much we are eating, boredom and stress may all affect our ability to resist temptation.
Researchers in America studied movie-goers eating popcorn and found that those food choices were affected by 'hidden persuaders'. Everything from being distracted by the movie to others eating could make people reach for another handful. Stale popcorn was used in the test, but its un-palatability had little effect - people still ate it.
Understanding which hidden persuaders are influencing your food choices will help you to abstain from snacking. Think about when, where and why you snack. Think about whether you are thirsty rather than hungry. Then ask yourself why you want that snack.
It is natural to snack and graze throughout the day, but it is important to make healthy choices which are nutritionally positive. Even for those trying diets for quick weight loss, snacking can work for you, if done in the right way and it is necessary to build smart snacking into your daily routine. There is no need to feel guilty about snacking, as long as it is done in the right way, and making informed and sensible decisions about when and what to snack on is one of the keys to long term weight management.
Author: Adam Singleton
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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