Snack Attack

A lot of people rely on late afternoon snacks since friend gatherings occur around that period of time. Opening a bag of chips or crackers seems much easier than spending hours in the kitchen preparing healthy bites.

It is surprising to realize that supermarket aisles provide a big space for snack boxes and bags from different brands to the point where we can even find oyster and cheese flavored chips. Industrials have all available means to market those products, whether it is free gifts with the purchase of 2 items or online marketing campaigns. All population categories are targeted; women, children, adolescents and men.

For example low fat or organic chips are intended for women to reassure them on the possibility of nibbling without gaining weight.

From a nutrition point of view processed foods are the number one enemy of clean eating as they contain a lot of chemical substances that can be harmful.

Acrylamide is a substance that forms during heating process at temperatures of 120 C or higher when frying, baking and roasting food, it also causes damages to nerve cells and DNA.

Foods that contain high amount of acrylamide are:

French fries

Potato chips

Roast potatoes

Crackers

Breakfast cereals

Bakery products

Coffee

Biscuits

Studies show that adolescents are mostly exposed to this substance given the fact that they rely mostly on snacks.

Some European food companies have successfully achieved to control the acrylamide content of chips, crackers and biscuits by mainly choosing potatoes that resist heat and by also monitoring the color of chips (white color being the indicator of low acrylamide content and brown being high in the substance).

There are still no recommended dietary amounts for acrylamide content in food, however the EU managed to give 600 to 1000 micrograms as a range to follow.

Snacking should not replace meals; snacks are high in salt and saturated fat in addition to carcinogenic chemicals.

MSG or Monosodium Glutamate is a flavor enhancer found in some crackers, chips, Asian and Indian dishes that if consumed excessively can trigger migraines and even cancer.

There are a lot of homemade snack recipes such as carrots and cherry tomatoes or raw nuts that require 10 min of preparation. Vegetable chips and roasted nuts are tempting but they contain high amounts of fat so it is better to limit their consumption and rely on fresh products.