What are the top 10 snack foods consumed in America? If you love to snack like I do, then you will surely enjoy this list that tells us something about Americans’ eating habits. And if you are more of a “sweet tooth” person, then you can also check out our other “food list” about countries that consume most ice cream.
Let’s get started with the snacks. What is the first thought that crosses your mind when you think of snacks? An unhealthy diet? Well, that probably depends on the person. Those who have a healthy diet are probably thinking about healthy food snacks like fruit and nuts, but those who don’t pay too much attention to what they eat are probably thinking of chips and candy bars. So, are we saying that chips and candy bars are unhealthy, whereas only fruit and nuts are a healthy choice for a snack? Well, in this time when new “healthy diet pyramids” are being discovered almost every minute and one diet-related theory suppresses the other, it would be very brave to say that something is ultimately (un)healthy. First of all, not all of us have the same nutrient requirements – an athlete, such as an Ironman champion and a kid in the first grade could never have the same diet. Also, it is very important to understand that in order to have a balanced diet you need to know how to combine food. For example, it is a not a well known fact that fruits are food that should be eaten alone and on an empty stomach. Why is that? Because it is the only appropriate way for them to be eaten in order to absorb all the nutrients, such as vitamins, that are in the fruit. When the fruit, which is made of simple carbohydrates, is combined with another food (meat – protein, or potatoes – complex carbohydrates), the gastric juices necessary for digesting these “heavier foods” will make the fruit rot in your stomach. Yes, you read that right. And this is only one of the many “food secrets” our ancestors in prehistoric times didn’t have to worry about. But today, when we have all kinds of food at our disposal all the time, there are things we should really learn in order to keep our bodies healthy. Unfortunately, there are too many different theories that just mentioning some would go beyond the scope of this article. So, let’s get back to our main topic – snacks in America.
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We have found information about the top 10 snack foods consumed in America from the 2015 Study of America’s consumption of fruit and vegetables done by Produce for Better Health Foundation. They counted as a snack food every food that is usually thought of as a snack, no matter when it was consumed. Next to every snack on this list is a percentage, indicating how often it was eaten on snacky occasions. We present them in reverse order, starting from the snack least consumed to finish with the snack food most consumed in America in 2015.
Let’s grab a bite! I mean, let’s take a look…
