What is your snack personality?
CAN'T LOSE weight? Maybe It's your Snack personality. Food texture drives our eating habits, says new research, and might help with weight loss. Adults snack, too! As a matter of fact, adults are snacking more now than in past years based on changing lifestyles and convenience. According to new consumer behaviour research, when it comes to snacking you're a chewer, a cruncher, a smoosher, or a sucker. Study authors Melissa Jeltema, PhD, and Jacqueline Beckley, MBA, found that each group selected food based on product texture, and it may help you lose weight – give a cruncher a low-calorie crunchy snack and she'll be more satisfied than if she had a chewy food. Find out more about each type and the snacks to choose.
CHEWERS
Chewers like to take their time chewing and prefer food that does not break up when bitten. There are two types of chewers: long (think gummy bears) and short (think jelly beans). Signature snacks also include chocolate-covered raisins, soft granola bars, chewy cookies and brownies; lighter bites might be pineapples or oranges. The study authors also found that a chewer who eats cereal will often add textured ingredients like raisins, or allow the food to soften slightly before eating it.
CRUNCHERS
Crunchers forcefully bite through food and swallow it quickly. They reach for foods like crisp apples, almonds, pretzels, hard granola bars, or crunchy cheese puffs and peanut M&Ms. When crunchers eat more easily breakable foods like chocolate or a soft granola bar, they'll more often choose a variety with nuts or chocolate chips.
SMOOSHERS
Smooshers squish foods between the tongue and the roof of the mouth; they're slow eaters who ‘savour’ their food. When they snack, they'll opt for treats like yogurt, oatmeal, custards, puddings, ripe mangoes, bananas or avocados. Be patient: It might take them 20 minutes to make their way through a single banana.
SUCKER
Suckers also like to manipulate food between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, but favour hard foods. Whatever they eat, they'll alternatively chew and suck on their food. For snacks, suckers reach for hard candies like Jolly Ranchers or mints, and with produce like oranges or grapefruits, they'll suck the juice out of their food before chewing.