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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Diets and Meal Planning

Snack

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

/snæk/nounCore term

In nutrition & dietetics, snack means: A small amount of food eaten between main meals, or a type of food that people often eat in this way, such as fruit, nuts, yogurt or crackers.

In Turkish: ara öğün, atıştırmalık

How it is used

Used as a noun (a mid-morning snack, a healthy snack, snack foods) and a verb (to snack on something). In meal plans it is the equivalent of the Turkish 'ara öğün'. 'Snacking' can be neutral, but 'mindless snacking' describes eating without paying attention.

Example sentences

  1. Her afternoon snack is usually a piece of fruit and a few walnuts.

  2. He tends to snack on chips while watching TV late at night.

Common collocations

  • healthy snack
  • mid-morning snack
  • snack on
  • snack foods
  • mindless snacking
  • meal planA written plan that shows what, when and how much a person will eat over a day or a week, usually prepared to meet specific health or energy needs.
  • appetiteThe natural wish or desire to eat. It is influenced by hunger, but also by emotions, habits, illness, medication and the sight or smell of food.
  • eating habitsThe usual ways a person eats: what, when, where, how much and how fast they eat, together with the routines and feelings connected with food.
  • portion sizeThe amount of a food that a person actually serves themselves or eats at one time. It may be bigger or smaller than the serving size printed on the label.

More terms: Diets and Meal Planning

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.