Almond is a healthy snack that young affluent adults in the country have turned to quell their sporadic urge to eat, said experts at a seminar on diet and fitness organised by Almond Board of California here on Tuesday.
As per a recent survey conducted in the country, 97 per cent of affluent Indians like snacking on almonds, followed by fruits and other dry fruits.
In the survey published early this year 3,037 affluent urban men and women between 18-35 years were interviewed across Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Bhopal and Coimbatore.
The study indicates that affluent Indians had turned to healthy snacking, that not just tickles the taste buds but contributes to nutrition intake.
Interestingly, 72 per cent of Hyderabadis want snacks to be healthy and tasty as against fried food. Also, the city’s affluent preferred snacking in the evening to overcome fatigue and exhaustion.
However, 30 per cent of young affluent people in the country snack when they undergo stress.
Stress snacking or eating when not hungry is high in the city and Bangalore even as people in Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bhopal are least inclined to snack when under stress.
The study also found that 97 per cent of young and affluent Indians prefer to snack on almonds when happy, followed by fruits. In cities like Bangalore (99 pc), Chandigarh (99 pc) and Coimbatore (99 pc) youngsters overwhelmingly prefer almonds for snacks, the study said.
Further, unlike popular perception, a whopping 82 pc of young and affluent adults say that they do not feel guilt after snacking. As much as 92 per cent of young adults in Mumbai say they seldom feel guilty after snacking. While these are the fun facts about almond snacking in the country, speaking at the seminar on diet and fitness, Sheela Krishnaswamy, a well-known Bangalore-based diet and nutrition consultant said, “Increasing disposable incomes, a need for convenience owing to fast-paced lifestyles and a cultural tradition of snacking have contributed to overall trend towards snacking in India. As a consequence, snacking has sub-consciously become a part of our daily routine. However, uncontrolled and mindless snacking on unhealthy foods, coupled with sedentary lifestyle has contributed to a rapid rise in lifestyle-related disorders.”
According to Ms. Krishnaswamy, it is important to ensure that snacking habits are healthy. “Healthy options like fruits or a handful of nutritious almonds which may have satiating properties that promote feelings of fullness, can be a substitute to unhealthy snacking or overeating,” she said.
Further, almonds can also help lower the blood sugar impact of carbohydrate foods, experts said.
