Snack. It is a type of snack that is taken in the mid-afternoon, also known as a snack the food that is made in the mid-morning. It is usually a bread with sausage , some pasta accompanied by a hot or cold drink. It can also be some fruit .
Etymology
The word snack comes from the Latin merenda . This word is typical of the military language and designated, either as a noon or afternoon meal that was distributed to the soldiers. Actually the word comes from the gerund of the verb deserve or deserve , which means deserve, earn something. Hence also a denominative verb merendare was formed in Latin that gives us a snack.
Importance
The snack is very important, since in this way they make the 5 recommended meals a day distributing the essential nutrients throughout the day, and thus they do not arrive hungry at dinner.
The snack should contribute 10 to 15% of the daily calories. It is recommended that it is not very abundant (same as mid-morning) so that they do not go without appetite for dinner. It should be similar to a mid-morning meal (small snack, fruit, nuts or natural juice, milk or yogurt ).
It is quite common, for lack of time and comfort, to give them unhealthy products at snack time, in this article I will tell you what are the best options and examples of healthy snacks.
Keys to an advisable and necessary intake
The snack is an intake that is apparently considered exclusive to schoolchildren and is not given the importance it really deserves. However, this evening intake is a nutritional contribution during a time interval, which elapses between the midday meal and dinner, and which may be too broad.
The uniform distribution of energy and necessary nutrients throughout the day due to daily activities, avoiding too long time lapses. It is a nutritional advantage as it ensures maintaining constant levels of glucose in blood and prevents the consumption of own reserves of the body. In this sense, the snack should represent 15% of the total daily energy contribution. Although snacking is an absolutely recommended eating habit for people of any age, it is worth highlighting the importance of the snack for some groups or situations in which it is crucial to cover nutritional needs.
Children and adolescents
In the growth stages it is extremely important that the diet is balanced and varied in order to ensure nutritional requirements. For this reason, the snack is especially recommended in children and adolescents.
In addition, in the case of children, their digestive system is still in the period of maturation and development with which their organism is not sufficiently prepared to go many hours without eating. If you add to this the increase in activity at these ages, you can understand the importance of snacks in these cases.
In Spain , schoolchildren’s snack is made up mainly of sandwiches (65%), pastries (20%), bread with chocolate (20%), yogurt and fruit (20%), with 81% of children consuming regularly. some kind of snack.
However, if the percentage of schoolchildren who snack is acceptable, in the case of adolescents, this percentage is much lower than desired.
Pregnant and lactating mothers
The snack takes on a special role in the case of pregnant and lactating mothers taking into account that the nutritional needs are increased.
Seniors
In the elderly, the snack provides an optimal way to provide the body with the nutrients it needs without the digestive system having to carry out slow and heavy digestions, since at these ages the digestive capacity is less.
Ideal snack
Milk or derivatives, fruit and cereals constitute a complete snack. The snack should include varied foods, rich in nutrients. It is recommended to moderate the consumption of excessively caloric foods or foods rich in saturated fats and refined sugars that can be harmful if taken in excess and can cause overweight, obesity , as well as other pathologies.
This mid-afternoon intake can be a good opportunity to complete the recommended daily servings of fruits, cereals and dairy.
A healthy option can be a combination of representative foods from these three groups, for example, a glass of milk accompanied by a fruit or cereal, bread with chocolate and a fruit. Or, it is also highly recommended to have a yogurt and nuts or a ham or cheese sandwich.
Rules for a good snack
- It should not interfere negatively with the digestion process of the midday meal. For this you must be far enough away from it and not take too late to prevent dinner.
- It is necessary to take care not only of the type of food to include, to which mention has already been made, but the ration of the same. The amounts to eat should not be exorbitant to avoid excess calories or cancel hunger for dinner. However, the amounts to eat will depend on the intrinsic needs of the person and the activity performed.
Snack Advantages
- The snack supposes a parenthesis and a recharge of energy very useful and necessary to continue the day or to undertake a series of activities that require a mental and / or physical effort (this is the case of extracurricular activities carried out by children and adolescents, for example ).
- A proper snack helps control overweight. Snacking is always an effective resource to calm your appetite and not come to dinner to gorge yourself on it. In addition, it avoids “itching” between meals, giving a feeling of satiety.
