How much are adults snacking?

Most adults (90 percent of men and 91 percent of women) have at least one snack on any given day. The pattern of individuals consuming a specified number of snacks in a day is similar for men and women, as shown in figure 1 below.

Figure 1

Percentages of men and women age 20 years and over consuming specified number of snacks in a day, 2007-2008.

How does snacking contribute to men’s intakes of MyPyramid food groups and components?

For men, average intakes of fruits, vegetables, and dairy fall short of meeting even the minimum recommendations for those MyPyramid food groups (see table 1), whereas the average intake of calories from SoFAS (see definition on page 6) is far above even the highest recommended limit. Relative to the proportion of total calories they provide, men’s snacks contribute higher amounts of fruits and SoFAS (primarily from added sugars), comparable amounts of oils and dairy, and lower amounts of vegetables, grains, and protein foods (see figure 2).

Table 1

MyPyramid patterns and mean intakes (total and from snacks) by men age 20 years and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008.

Figure 2

Contributions by snacks and other eating occasions to intakes of calories and MyPyramid food groups/components, men 20 years and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008. NOTES: ^aLegumes (dried beans and peas) are excluded from vegetables and included in protein (more...)

How does snacking contribute to women’s intakes of MyPyramid food groups and components?

Results for women parallel those for men. Average intakes of fruits, vegetables, and dairy by women fail to meet even the lowest recommended intakes (see table 2), but the average intake of calories from SoFAS is almost twice the highest recommended limit. Compared to the percentage of total calories they provide, women’s snacking occasions are higher in fruits but also higher in added sugars (see figure 3).

Table 2

MyPyramid patterns and mean intakes (total and from snacks) by women age 20 years and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008.

Figure 3

Contributions by snacks and other eating occasions to intakes of calories and MyPyramid food groups/components, women 20 years and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008. NOTE: ^aLegumes (dried beans and peas) are excluded from vegetables and included in protein (more...)

Do adults who snack more have higher total intakes of MyPyramid food groups and components?

Yes. Except for fruit intake by men and solid fats intake by women, adults’ total intakes of all MyPyramid food groups and components in a day are significantly higher among those who consume more snacks on the intake day (see figure 4 and table 3).

Figure 4

Total intakes of MyPyramid food groups and oils in a day by snacking frequency, adults 20 years of age and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008. NOTES: Fruits, vegetables, and dairy are presented in cup equivalents, grains and protein foods in ounce equivalents, (more...)

Table 3

Total intakes of SoFAS, added sugars, and solid fats in a day by snacking frequency, adults 20 years of age and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008.

Are total MyPyramid intakes higher for adults who snack more because they make better food/beverage choices, or is it simply because they eat more?

For the most part, iťs because they eat more. Among adults, higher snacking is associated with higher total calorie intake (8). To determine whether associations between snacking and MyPyramid food group intakes are due to better food choices or merely to eating more, a statistical adjustment was applied to account for the impact of differences in calorie intake. In this way, it is possible to determine whether an effect of snacking on MyPyramid intakes would be seen if calorie intakes had been the same at the different snacking levels. After this adjustment, few relationships remain between snacking frequency and total intakes of MyPyramid groups and components in a day (see figure 5 and table 4). Two exceptions are that, for women, more frequent snacking is associated with (a) higher intakes of fruit and (b) lower intakes of solid fats.

Figure 5

Calorie-adjusted total intakes of MyPyramid food groups and oils in a day by snacking frequency, adults 20 years of age and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008. NOTES: Fruits, vegetables, and dairy are presented in cup equivalents, grains and protein foods (more...)

Table 4

Calorie-adjusted total intakes of SoFAS, added sugars, and solid fats in a day by snacking frequency, adults 20 years of age and older, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2008.

Definitions

BMI (body mass index)

Based on an individual’s height and weight, this number is a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people (9). Calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by the square of his/her height (in meters). The equation for calculating BMI based on weight in pounds and height in inches is the following: weight (lb) / [height (in)]² × 703

MyPyramid

Food guidance system developed by USDA. Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, it recommends amounts of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, and oils to eat (by age, gender, and activity level) in order to meet nutrient needs. MyPyramid also puts limits on food components typically consumed in excess in the American diet – solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol. The units used for grains and protein are “ounce equivalents.” For lists of ounce equivalents, see http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/grains_counts.html and http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/meat_counts.html.

Poverty thresholds

Percentage of poverty level is based on family income, family size, and composition using U.S. Census Bureau poverty thresholds. The poverty threshold categories are related to Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs. See www.fns.usda.gov.

Physical activity

Using data from the NHANES Physical Activity and Physical Fitness Questionnaire (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/nhanes_07_08/paq07_08_eng.pdf), total minutes of moderate physical activity per week was calculated for each adult. Each minute of vigorous activity was considered to be the equivalent of 2 minutes of moderate activity (10).

Snack, snacking occasion

Snacking occasions were reported as distinct eating occasions during the dietary interview and consisted of one or more food and beverage items, including plain water. Survey respondents selected the name of all eating occasions from a fixed list that was provided during the interview. All reports of “snack,” “drink,” or “extended consumption” (items that were consumed over a long period of time) were included as snacking occasions. Spanish language interviewers used Spanish language snacking occasion names: “merienda,” “entre comida,” “bocadillo,” “tentempie,” and “bebida.”

SoFAS

Acronym used to refer to the sum of calories from Solid Fats and Added Sugars (11), as well as any calories from alcohol. Limits for the amount of calories from SoFAS are included in the USDA food patterns.

Three-meal pattern

This pattern was present when an individual’s dietary intake included at least one eating occasion from each of three categories (including both English and equivalent Spanish names for these meals): (1) breakfast, desayuno, or almuerzo; (2) lunch, brunch, or comida; and (3) dinner, supper, or cena.

Data Source

Estimates in this report are based on one-day of dietary intake data collected in What We Eat in America (WWEIA), the dietary intake interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), in 2007-2008. A total of 5,420 men and women age 20 years and older provided complete and reliable dietary intake data. Pregnant and lactating females (n=86) were excluded from this report, yielding a final sample of 5,334 adults (2,662 males and 2,672 females). Sample weights were applied in all analyses to produce nationally representative estimates.

During the 24-hour dietary recall, the name of each eating occasion was reported by the respondent. Nutrient intakes were based only on intakes of foods and beverages and do not include nutrient contributions from supplements. The MyPyramid Equivalents Database for USDA Food Codes (MPED) 2003-3004 Version 2.0 was used to disaggregate foods into their ingredients, assign the components to the appropriate MyPyramid food groups, and convert gram amounts to MyPyramid units of measure.

References

1.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Available at: http://www​.dietaryguidelines.gov [accessed April 1, 2011].

2.

United States Department of Agriculture. MyPyramid​.gov [Online]. Available at: http://www​.mypyramid.gov [accessed April 26, 2011].

3.

My Pyramid Food Intake Patterns. Available at: http://www​.mypyramid​.gov/downloads/MyPyramid​_Food_Intake_Patterns.pdf [accessed April 26, 2011].

4.

Nielsen SJ, Siega-Riz AM, Popkin BM. Trends in energy intake in U.S. between 1977 and 1996: Similar shifts seen across age groups. Obes Res. 2002 May;10(5):370–8. [PubMed: 12006636]

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Sebastian RS, Cleveland LE, Goldman JD. Effect of snacking frequency on adolescents’ dietary intakes and meeting national recommendations. J Adolesc Health. 2008 May;42(5):503–11. Epub 2008 Feb 7. [PubMed: 18407046]

6.

Kerver JM, Yang EJ, Obayashi S, Bianchi L, Song WO. Meal and snack patterns are associated with dietary intake of energy and nutrients in US adults. J Am Diet Assoc 2006;106:46–53. [PubMed: 16390666]

7.

Zizza CA, Arsiwalla DD, Ellison KJ. Contribution of snacking to older adults’ vitamin, carotenoid, and mineral intakes. J Am Diet Assoc 2010; 110:768–772. [PubMed: 20430139]

8.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Food Surveys Research Group. 2011. Snacking Patterns of U.S. Adults: What We Eat In America, NHANES 2007-2008. Food Surveys Research Group Dietary Data Brief No. 4. Available at: http://ars​.usda.gov/Services/docs​.htm?docid=19476 [accessed June 1, 2011].

9.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy weight: Assessing your weight: BMI: About BMI for adults. Available at: http://www​.cdc.gov/healthyweight​/assessing​/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html [accessed April 27, 2011].

10.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Appendix 1 – Translating scientific evidence about total amount and intensity of physical activity into guidelines. Available at: http://www​.health.gov​/paguidelines/guidelines/appendix1.aspx [accessed January 20, 2011].

11.

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Report of the Dietaiy Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, to the Secretary ofAgriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Available at: http://www​.dietaryguidelines.gov [accessed April 1, 2011].

Sebastian RS, Wilkinson Enns C, Goldman JD. MyPyramid Intakes and Snacking Patterns of U.S. Adults: What We Eat In America, NHANES 2007-2008. Food Surveys Research Group Dietary Data Brief No. 5. June 2011. Available at: http://ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=19476.