Have you ever gone to check your pantry looking for a snack, only to find a jar of pickles and a half-stale bag of potato chips? If you have, then you probably already must know how frustrating this can be. And if you haven’t? Let us be the first to tell you: it’s definitely the worst, especially if you’re feeling somewhat snackish.
Fortunately, for most of us, we can easily fix this issue by going to the store right away to replenish our favorites. But with that in mind, what is a snack, exactly? We can answer that for you. A snack is usually a treat we eat between meals. They can be all kinds of foods and have tons of different flavors. Most people like snacks, whether they are adults or children.
We all enjoy having sweets or salty treats from time to time, after all. It’s the perfect solution for when we are simply craving something yummy between meals or when watching a movie. And the best part? You can get them almost at every shop you stumble upon on the street, from grocery stores to pharmacies to those convenience stores you always find at gas stations.
Why Do We Eat Snacks?
Normally, although we eat meals because of hunger or habit, snacks are eaten generally for pleasure. Most times, we eat them, even if we are not hungry at all. While it is true that regular snack consumption can have negative effects on your diet, studies have proved that you can fix that by controlling your intake of empty calories on a regular basis with some healthier snacks.
Emotional Health
Snacks can help to improve your mental state. Many of us like to eat snacks for those days when we are feeling especially down, lonely, or stressed. We tend to seek the boost and comfort this snack can provide. It makes sense, then, that a lot of people like to reward themselves with something delicious to nibble on after a long day at work.
Snack for Socializing
Special occasions such as weddings, birthdays or simply hanging out with friends are the ideal opportunity to bond over food. It offers you a good reason for eating snacks while enjoying someone’s company or having a celebration. What better way to practice your social skills than eating with family and friends?
Plus, there are tons of products and brands you can pick from, too! When you find yourself craving a tasty snack, you can easily find them at our local grocery store. After a lot of research, we are going to read next about 5 of the most popular snacks we’ve noticed can be found in any of America’s grocery stores.
1. M&Ms
When it comes to chocolate candies, we all can agree that M&Ms is one of the favorite picks. This popular snack was first introduced on the market by Mars in 1941 and has been on store shelves since then. In the beginning, they were simple semi-hard chocolate buttons covered in candies but with its early success in 1950, they began to expand their selection. Today we can choose from a variety of flavors such as peanut butter, almond, dark chocolate, or caramel.
2. Oreo Cookies
An Oreo is the typical cookie children try first (paired with a glass of milk, of course!). While these creme-filled sandwich cookies have been on the market since 1912, they still prevail as the best-selling cookie brand around the world to this day, promoting various types of flavors. In fact, Oreo cookies are available in at least one hundred countries.
3. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
There is nothing better than having a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day. Founded in 1978 by two childhood friends, this American company is known among its clients for its tasty selections of ice cream with tons of different textures, frozen yogurts, and sorbets. Popular for its pun-driven names, we often share a laugh when buying a pint of these clever ice creams.
4. Ritz Crackers
For people who prefer salty flavors, this brand of salted and buttery crackers is the better pick for you. Introduced by Nabisco in 1934, we can recognize it for their circular shape and how good they go with other toppings (cheese or a smear of peanut butter, anyone?). They are the better option when it comes to refreshments you could offer at parties.
5. Fritos
Despite the wide-scale popularity of potato chips, corn chips aren’t far behind. There’s really nothing more satisfying than a crunchy snack, and Fritos corn chips are exactly what you need when the craving strikes. Owned by the same company that makes Lay’s potato chips, its name in Spanish means “little fried things.” This is because they’re made of fresh masa dough and are shaped as what real tortillas would look like, but in a convenient bite-size.
Why Do We Eat Snacks?
If you are someone who loves snacks, you were probably thinking about your favorites while reading our list. No surprise there, as we all have our own preferences, from potato chips to candies to the healthier natural types. Exploring the shelves from our local grocery store, we can find a wide variety to choose from. But as you could notice before, the popular and well-known brands are the products we’re going to favor above all. And why is that?
The reason why some of these brands rise above the rest is due to their marketing team. Branding and making a product stand out is a difficult endeavor. To succeed in business, you must have strong analytical thinking, good organization skills (alongside an effective strategy team), and a great marketing plan to establish what image of your product you want to sell to the clients.
Ultimately, these popular brands of snacks were up to the challenge and succeeded in getting all the recognition they get from us nowadays. Not only was it remarkably clever, but it was also wholly effective. With the resounding success of these five brands – as well as the many others that have become household names throughout the years – now is the perfect moment to go and grab one of these snacks from your pantry and enjoy the delicious taste of their success.