College-aged men view more foods as snacks than women do

The perception of food as a snack or a meal influences later caloric consumption (Capaldi, Owens, & Privitera, 2006). In the past 40 years, the intake of snacks increased and main meals decreased in American adults (Kant & Graubard, 2015), but gender differences in which foods are perceived as snacks vs. meals has not been directly investigated. Here, we asked a college-aged sample of men and women to categorize a list of foods as snacks or meals. Two follow-up studies were also conducted that offered a greater assortment of food and the addition of more complex answer choices. All surveys showed that men categorized more foods as snacks as compared to women, particularly sweet and energy-dense foods. These results suggest that snack and meal perceptions by men and women may be reflective of actual eating patterns.