The snacking

[OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow]

Can someone please explain to me the snacking thing in UK? I keep seeing people talking about kids "constantly snacking". Is that exaggeration?

I am genuinely curious because I grew up with set (ish) meal times.
We had breakfast, snack (apple usually or similar), lunch, snack (yogurt and fruit or small roll with something) and dinner.
There was usually 3 hours between the meals.
I grew up outside of UK and this was normal and still is so it's mindboggling for me to see "we need to buy x packs of snacks because they are snacking nonstop".
And crisps are just for parties or movie nights

I am not dissing, it's just real curiousity about the differences.

Thanks!

I would say it's a generational thing as much as anything.
That's an interesting notion. I am from central Europe. Millenial so not too old.

As I read the thread I realise that it's grazing to be exact. I guess everyone calls it differently. It's that basically non stop access and eating something which is surprising to me.

As I said. It's interesting to read the differences and now we have 2 other countries joining in.

@Sonichu that's bit greedy. You should have just sniffed the quinoa carefully

I've had to ration snacks in my home, 5 kids and hard to get slots and don't want to go to shops for anything other than essentials if i can't get a slot so ordered bulk buy of cereal bars etc and I'm limiting what they can have a day. All i hear at the moment is 'im hungry' must be boredom as been doing breakfast lunch and dinner all at regular times. Trying to keep them occupied, movies, school work, painting etc but shacking is a constant ask from my kids lol

Mine aren't allowed to snack except on fruit. And we are baking a cake every day at the moment, so have that for elevenses! If we have crisps in the house, they are for lunches only. no biscuits bought as they go within seconds

I don’t understand this either,what’s the difference between an elevenses and a snack? What the difference between eating crisps at lunch or at say three?

I don’t even know anyone who has “elevenses “ never mind sits and eats cake at that time every day, genuinely if that’s not snacking in between meals what is?

One thing I remember from French Women Don't Get Fat is the author claiming that when Disneyland Paris opened, there were sweet shops and other such snack food shops, and they hardly sold anything because French people don't do snacking, apparently. I've never been to Disneyland so can't confirm if this is true or not.

Yanbu. Friends kids are snack obsessed,can't go half hour without one.

I'm not against snacks but with some it's continual: crisps, raisins, barney beat, fruit, breadsticks...then big lunch soon after. Her kids are under 5! Then she asks why the hv has commented about their weight (visibly heavy). Mum doesn't ever snack herself.

We are obese nation. We snack.

Wait, what? We're snorting quinoa now?

Times are tough.

Wait, what? We're snorting quinoa now?

I meant smell😂

Well at the moment I can't smell or taste anything apart from very strong salt and vinegar crisps and olives so I'm just grazing all day on those. I'm a little ( lot) and often sort of person anyway. Buffets are my favourite meal 😂

We don't have unlimited snacks in our house, just one or two a day. We have quite small meals as well, so I suppose you could say we have 4-5 small meals a day. I grew up on 4 meals a day, but the only biggish meal was dinner.
I never took food out with me either unless we were going to be out or day. Maybe just a drink in hot weather.

@triedandtestedteacher oh i am sorry. Hope you feel better soon!

We had 5 meals a day, I guess many don't have the morning snack, because our schools start at 8 so we were waking us quite early and going from 6 to 12 without anything inbetween is hard.🤔

Another interesting difference. We had big lunches and small dinners. So the opposite to normal thing in UK. I remember starving first week after having just sandwich for punch😂 I got used to it now.

I don’t get it either. I used to get really annoyed at toddler groups because I didn’t give DD snacks, whereas all the other mums seemed to have a never ending supply of biscuits / raisins etc in their changing bags. They’d give them to their kids and offer one to DD and tut because I didn’t have any - presumably they assumed I just wanted to rely on other people feeding my child, but actually I just didn’t see the need for her to snack. She’s now 6 and rarely asks for a snack because she’s never seen the need. I have friends who’d freak out if they didn’t have a full bag of snacks ready for their kids now, but we don’t have to worry about that - DD just waits for her meals. I realise this probably sounds smug but it just makes sense to me!

Teenagers may be a whole different ball game - guess I’ll find out

We’re having movie night twice a day at the moment, does that mean our snacking is permitted?

I grew up in a No Snacking house. After DD was about 15-18 months old we stopped giving her regular snacks, she only gets them now if we're out for the day & we've missed a meal, or she's ill & struggling to eat (we're all inclined to lose our appetites when unwell or fed up, although hearty eaters otherwise). DH & I would just go without a snack if we miss a meal while out, & just get a drink, & increasingly DD (7) just chooses a drink as well, even if snacks are available.

Personally I'm of the opinion that it does you no harm to go hungry sometimes. People generally eat too much in the 1st world, & DD is pretty good at coping with occasional disappointments, I suspect partly because we have so little to start with.

I don't understand people who dont have kids that snack.

Mine have all sorts between meals: crisps, yoghurts, fruit, sandwiches, lunchables, biscuits etc etc

Just need to add...none of mine are overweight or close.

Personally I'm of the opinion that it does you no harm to go hungry sometimes.

I’d venture that learning the difference between hungry and not hungry/hungry and bored or unhappy/hungry, fed and stuffed to the gills is really important. And also that, within reason, hunger isn’t something terrifying that needs to be put a stop to immediately.

And snacking (unless you choose non-cariogenic snacks) isn’t great for teeth.

I never used to carry snacks around with me either when they were young. In fact ds want even bothered about chocolate. As a pp said, they are certainly making up for it now they are teens..

Snacking is honestly the only good thing in my life right now. Yeah, I know....but il take it !

I've noticed other countries don't snack us much as us Brits - and the difference in waistlines reflects this. I really have to limit my snacking or I'll put on weight quickly. I do let my kids snack (mostly healthy foods) as they're both skinny and quite fussy. I see it as a way to get more nutrients in them.

We don’t snack, we have three decent sized meals each day, including a decent breakfast rather than toast, cereal etc. I have a forth meal when my son is in bed.

I’m a type one diabetic, so due to that I’m not a natural snacker so neither is my son.