India has a rich culture. Not just history and art, the country’s food landscape is extremely rich with diverse foods across the country. From a person in Kashmir enjoying ‘kahwah’ to someone in Chennai drinking filter coffee. Not just food and beverages, the country provides rich options of snacks as well. The prevalence of street foods provides much steam to these snacks. These are tasty, appetizing, and convenient to eat. The prevalence of snacking in India is such that eight in ten Indians replace at least one meal with them, a new study has revealed.
What Did The Study Reveal?
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This study was done by Mondelz International in a collaboration with The Harris Poll. The survey revealed the following:
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- About 8 in 10 Indians replace at least one of their meals with a snack. The preference for snacks can be attributed to convenience and comfort. But, by doing this, they compromise with nutrition.
- Not just that, 8 in 10 Indians reported eating at least one snack for sustenance and one for sensorial pleasure. While the former was more likely to be eaten during the day, indulgence generally happened in the evening.
- 92% of Indians who were part of the survey reported enjoying food content on social media. The global average for the same stands at 62%.
- 77% of Indians said they were inspired by social media to try a new snack last year. Compare this to the 55% global average.
- Pandemic might have some role to play in this. 83% of Indians reported their idea of a snack has expanded over the past three years.
- Also, snacking had more to do with boosting emotional health than physical health.
- Not just emotional health, 8 in 10 Indians said they looked at snacks as a means to improve their social health.
Anil Viswanathan, vice president of Mondelz India, emphasised the role of social media in generating such a trend, a leading media house reported.
Also read: Eating Fries and Other Starchy Snacks Increase Risk of Heart Problems: Study
Snacking: Pros & Cons
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A snack cannot provide you the kind and level of nutrition a regular meal would. However, it has some benefits, according to Harvard Health.
Snacks provide a boost of energy.
- If you opt for healthy snacks alternatives like nuts and fruits, they provide you with nutrition.
- If you have a poor appetite and cannot eat the main meals, snacks can keep you full.
- They also curb your appetite for the next meal, thus, might help with preventing overeating.
However, there are multiple drawbacks associated with snacking.
- If you snack along with having regular meals, you consume additional calories, which may cause weight gain.
- If due to snacks, you skip your regular meals entirely, you miss out on vital nutrients.
- Generally, for snacks, many people opt for processed and packaged foods that are unhealthy. Not only do they cause weight gain but are detrimental to health.
Hence, snacking is fine until you opt for healthy snacks. So, replace chips with dates, samosas with fruits, and white bread with wholegrain one, and you are good to go.
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