When I was younger I often heard the phrase ‘a good square meal’ when someone was referring to a wholesome way of eating. Many doctors and nutritionists back then emphasised the importance of having three square meals each day.
Each meal would consist of food from “the four food groups”, each forming a cornerstone of a “square” meal. The food groups were, meat and fish, dairy and eggs, vegetables and fruits and finally grains and starches. A “square” meal was supposed to contain all of those foods.
Increasingly today, snacking has replaced three square meals a day. One in three of us now regularly eat just one proper meal a day, getting by on snacks the rest of the time, according to new research. Two-thirds of us confess to snacking once or twice every day (65 per cent) and 18 per cent admit they typically snack three or four times a day.
It seems we’ve become so obsessed with grazing that 47 per cent think about food more than football and 37 per cent think about food more than sex. The study, by Listerine, the producers of the anti-bacterial mouthwash, indicated that those taking part in the research are most likely to reach for snacks such as crisps, biscuits or chocolate between 10am and 11am and between 3pm and 4pm.
It seems we’ve become so obsessed with grazing that 47 per cent think about food more than football and 37 per cent think about food more than sex. The study, by Listerine, the producers of the anti-bacterial mouthwash, indicated that those taking part in the research are most likely to reach for snacks such as crisps, biscuits or chocolate between 10am and 11am and between 3pm and 4pm.
One in five (19 per cent) say they will often find themselves shoveling food into their mouth because they are bored and 18 per cent admit snacking has become ‘a habit’.
We spend so much time grazing as we go about our daily lives that 29 per cent of adults say that on a typical day they will now only eat one proper meal.
Reaching for snacks is made more likely by the way in which food never seems to be far from our mind. One in 10 participants (9pc) admit they think about food at least once every 30 minutes throughout the day and 15 per cent say it’s every hour.
The study, of 2,000 adults, found that men are more likely to exist on snacks. Just a third of men usually have three proper meals in a day (35pc), compared with 42pc of women.
An expert from Listerine said continual grazing presents a threat to dental health. Mike Lynch, global director of Oral Care Scientific Engagement at Johnson & Johnson which makes Listerine, said: “This snacking trend is taking its toll on oral health. Bacteria in your mouth use the sugar from healthy or unhealthy foods to create an acid that leads to erosion of tooth enamel, leaving teeth weak and vulnerable.”
Adults are becoming increasingly concerned about their appearance with an estimated 41pc of us worrying about what we are eating and how this is affecting our teeth. Dentists are treating more patients with issues related to snacking and around 16pc of patients have had more than one dental issue because of their diet.
Perhaps it is time to consider changing some of our eating habits and reducing our snacking addiction. If stopping snacking is not an option for you then probably best to make sure you are snacking on something that would be regarded as healthy.