I do not understand snacks

[Yellowdaffodila]

So I'm not from the UK and I hear and read about the snack thing all the time.
What is a snack? When I take my children out I'm asked to bring snacks. They will be home for food after our trip. They eat breakfast. Why a snack?

Also interested to know what country you're from that doesn't have snacks. I've lived in many countries and eating between meals is fairly common... Even if its just a little cake or biscuit with a cup of coffee, or some olives with a glass of wine.

The world must seem overwhelming if such concepts are so mind blowing to you!

13yr old DS does between 20-30 hrs of sport a week. On a Tuesday, he’s in the pool at 7am, then has 1.5hr school games lesson, after school he does 1.5hrs general athletics, has a half hour break, then has a 1.5hr middle distance training session. He does not want to eat a big meal in between those sessions, so he has a snack. HTH.

As a collective, this group of individuals has misplaced the view of precisely what a 'small portion of food, high in vitamins and micronutrients and generally with a satisfying taste' tends to be!!

Would it be possible please for a person present to consider the offspring?!

I didn't really bother with snacks with my ds as he was okay to wait for meals but my dd never finishes a meal and eats little and often. I would always bring emergency snacks along on mornings out etc as she can get very hangry, particularly when she was a toddler! If your children are fine without then don't bother, others can do what they like with their children.

What country are you from?

I've been to a lot of countries and I have friends from a lot of countries and I gave yet to encounter any country that doesn't have snack foods.

This. It's not hard. Bringing some fruit or something with us means that we can stay out longer and the walk home will be slightly less unpleasant. If they eat a lot while out they'll have a smaller meal at home.

When out with others, food is a social thing which is presumably a concept you're familiar with. They share snacks, try new things, share etc.

Some kids, particularly under 5s and teens, have to eat every couple of hours so can't wait to just eat at meal times.

For example when my DD is in the middle of a growth spurt she needs to eat every 2 hours plus will eat up all her food at meal times, then when she's not going through a growth spurt she is simply not hungry so will eat 2 meals a day. If she isn't eating enough she will either become listless and tired, or start crying.

I have friends with tall DDs and they are/were similar. One is now an adult and she is 6 ft.

WTF?

Look OP, put simply, some people - and especially kids - need to eat more often than the typical 5ish hours between meals
No they don't. It's a habit brought from kids asking for them because they know they exist and parents reading this as a need rather than a want.

They are a major contributor to the obesity crisis.

Is this one of those wide eyed actually a sneaky dig at the English type OPs?

"We've lost sight of what a 'healthy snack is!!!"

"Won't someone please think of the children?!"

Same here. It’s all Greek to me.

I am not here to upset people. The replies are strong. I am from an Asian country but I do give treats. I understand if children are not at home for meals then I would take a roll or fruit. It was something I saw on My neighbourhood Facebook for Easter activity.
But I would bring them home for food at 1pm so I did not understand the snack.
Sorry

Treats, rolls and fruit are snacks. HTH

I’m sure you know perfectly well what a snack is. If someone is taking your children for the morning and they are saying to pack them a snack what they are saying is that they expect you to provide the food for your children. If they genuinely don’t need a snack and won’t moan at their hosts that they’re hungry then it isn’t a problem is it? But we’re all different, other kids might get up far earlier than yours so the gap from
breakfast to lunch is longer, and therefore they might eat a banana or something mid morning. No big deal.

I don't get snacks either. With the exception of under fives and possibly teenagers, surely kids should be able to go a few hours between meals without a snack?

You do actually understand, and give, snacks then.

A snack doesn't have to be a treat, it usually isn't.

An Easter activity would typically have a treat - for those who don't practice Christianity, Easter is a feast of chocolate eggs, so it would be usual to have a few mini eggs or a little chocolate bunny. I'm sure your heritage has some festivals that have traditional food-based treats associated with them?

OP, you're getting an unfair pasting here. Lots of countries don't have the unhealthy idea of constant snacking that the UK seems to have got into so it's not that hard to see how someone wouldn't understand the concept even if they can translate the word perfectly well.

Essentially, there's lots of people who feel they've got to graze constantly and can't possibly wait until their next proper meal and/or ever feel a little bit hungry. So there's constant 'snack' foods which are often unhealthy and which goes some way to explain the country's high obesity levels. Sure, if you've done quite a bit of exercise you might want a banana or something afterwards, but there's a world of different between that and endlessly grazing on crisps at your desk.

As a case in point, I Googled "snacks" and this was one of the top results: Snacks Healthy, huh? But apparently we "need" this

Ah, so I'm just imagining I'm hungry between main meals then? I don't like eating 3 big meals and then nothing in between, I prefer to have a smaller breakfast/lunch and snack in between. I don't eat any more than i would, just spread out more so absolutely no reason not to do that.

You do realise that just because your metabolism works in one particular way, other people.... are different?

Well that is nonsense - its about how much people eat, not how often - only eating three meals a day is not compulsory, nor even how people have always eaten, or do eat across the world. Children eating more frequently than 3 times a day will not automatically become obese, assuming the overall amount of food they eat is the same as if they'd just had 3 meals. Parents giving their kid some carrot sticks while they're at the park is highly unlikely to be contributing to an obesity crisis.

It's because children are anarchists and feeding them at random times lessens the chances of war being declared.

I am not sure where you are from as you mention the uk bur I can't think of a country that I have heard about their food not having some form of snack

Maybe not the same food snacks but some form of small food consumed between meals

It's scientifically proven that it's healthier to eat little and often rather than 3 huge meals