Are we becoming addicted to snacks?

Food experts say Americans definitely have a snack addition and closer attention needs to be paid for what this mean for health and obesity.

Eating habits in the U.S. have changed significantly in recent decades. Packaged bars, chips and sweets have spread into every corner of life.

In the late 1970s, about 40 per cent of American adults said they didn’t have any snacks during the day.

By 2007, that figure was just 10 per cent.

For public health officials, part of the challenge is that snacking is a broad term that can mean a 100 calorie apple or a 500 calorie Frappuccino.

How people adjust what they eat the rest of the day also varies.

Snacks may help reduce hunger and overeating at meals, but they can also just push up the total calories an individual consumes.

(The Associated Press)