After the hustle and bustle of the new school year, the return of stress and busy days, millions of Belgians are reverting to a more homely lifestyle and the eating – and snacking – habits that go with it.
Snacking has become firmly established in the daily lives of Belgians: 70% of them snack at least once a day, and more than one in three Belgians do so several times a day. The favourite time remains the afternoon (64%), followed by the evening (36%)
"Snacking is often associated with poor nutritional value, particularly in terms of added sugars, and this can negatively affect the quality of main meals," said Nicolas Guggenbühl, a dietitian-nutritionist and lecturer at Leonardo da Vinci University College in Brussels.
According to the Food Consumption Survey by Belgian national health institute Sciensano, the daily consumption of sweet or savoury snacks rose from 38.3% in 2018 to 46.8% in 2023–2024.
Sweet versus savoury
Children aged 0 to 14 are the most affected (60.2%). At the same time, fruit and vegetable intake remains well below the recommendations: 90% of adults eat too little fruit and 93% too few vegetables.
This snacking usually happens spontaneously (55%) rather than being planned, and primarily satisfies an emotional need: one in two spontaneous snacks (52%) stems from pleasure or self-indulgence, far ahead of genuine hunger (24%).
On the plate, sweet snacks far outnumber savoury ones (more than nine in 10 sweet snacks versus six in 10 for savoury), with biscuits (58%), crisps and crackers (54%) and chocolate (54%) leading the way.
In light of this finding, Guggenbühl called for a rethink of snacking rather than cutting it out altogether. "Instead of focusing on what to avoid, it is better to opt for positive choices that contribute to overall balance and are generally under-represented in our diets."
Some practical tips for putting this advice into practice are paying attention to the portion size and calorie content of each snack, spreading your energy intake throughout the day rather than snacking based on your mood, and opting for healthy snacks such as a handful of nuts (20–30 g/day), a piece of fruit, whole grains or dairy products.
