Some UF students are snacking instead of eating meals, and it might be good for them.
A recent Wall Street Journal article said Americans are snacking more than ever, and some are snacking periodically throughout the day, skipping entire meals.
Kristina von Castel-Roberts, an assistant research professor and program director at the UF Weight Management Lab with a doctorate in nutritional science, said if you eat healthy snacks, snacking could result in a more balanced diet.
“The quality of food still matters,” she said.
The danger, though, is some could accidentally start overeating. It’s important to eat around the same total quantity as you would by eating three meals, she said.
Carter Fish, a 19-year-old UF public relations sophomore, said her schedule dictates how much she snacks.
She said when she has class early, she doesn’t have time to eat a regular meal. She rarely has a meal for lunch and instead eats two snacks around midday.
Although her eating habits vary, she said she tries to eat more nutritional foods like fruits and cheese.
“It makes me feel healthy,” she said.
However, Michael Bennett, a 20-year-old UF finance major, said he has a consistent eating schedule.
“If I don’t start out the day with breakfast, I get cranky,” he said.
Dijon Green, a 19-year-old UF exploratory student, said he eats four meals a day. He said based on his friends, he thinks males are more likely to eat all three meals than females, who are more likely to skip a meal like breakfast and snack for lunch.
Twenty-year-old UF health science student Jaime Bell said she feels the same. Although she eats all three meals regularly, she said she thinks eating meals is less important to women than it is to men.
Men rarely turn down the opportunity to eat, she said.
“Guys are definitely going to want their three meals,” Bell said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 7/10/2014 under the headline "Snacking, skipping meals may be a social trend in the US"]
