Snacking in nutrition and health

Abstract

Many studies suggest that distributing energy and nutrient intake across 4–5 eating occasions/day (rather than across three standard meals) could favourably affect human health. The inclusion of 1–2 snacks in the daily pattern alleviates the potential digestive and metabolic overload caused by fewer heavier meals and might contribute to meet recommendations for food groups (e.g. fruits, dairy) and nutrients like fibre and vitamins. The snack composition should be evaluated taking into account the whole day’s diet. In early and late ages, and for specific population groups, snacking may need to follow particular characteristics in order to be optimal, both in terms of composition and timing. This document, which is the result of a collaboration of experts across several fields of research, intends to provide a review of the current scientific literature on meal frequency and health, highlighting the beneficial effects of correct snack consumption across the human lifespan.

Keywords:

• Snacking
• eating occasion
• meal frequency
• meal timing
• dietary intake

Disclosure statement

All the authors have undersigned a conflict of interest declaration on the topic of this manuscript. AP and FM are respectively President and responsible for research at NFI, a non-profit organisation partially supported by 19 food companies, some of which may have financial interests in the topic. CA declares speaking fees from Soremartec Italia s.r.l.

Additional information

Funding

The preparation of this document has been supported by an unrestricted grant from Danone Italia. The sponsor did not have a role in the preparation of the manuscript nor in decision to publish the document.