Meals or Snacks...Which Is It?

Meal patterns and snacking frequency are two important dietary characteristics that can be evaluated by analyzing data from What We Eat in America, NHANES. Dietary intakes collected in this national survey are used to provide a snapshot of the current meal and snack patterns of Americans by age and gender groups throughout the life cycle as well as by race/ethnicity. In NHANES 2007-2008, more than 60% of adult men and women reported consuming the standard three-meal pattern of breakfast, lunch and dinner and over 80% reported two or more snack occasions per day. Over the last 30 years, both the average number of daily snacks and the contribution of snacks to total daily energy consumption have increased. Currently, foods eaten at snacks comprise on average about 25% of the total daily energy intake for both adults and children in the U.S. The impact of this trend on body weight is unclear since both the number of snacks and the contribution of snacking to total energy consumption were lower in obese adults compared to normal-weight adults. This session will further highlight what Americans are eating and when, using data from What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008.