Chances are, you're snacking right now. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the American Snack Food Association, 85 percent of Internet surfers "munch while they cruise." What are people actually snacking on? The survey says...

• 25 percent are chowing down on popcorn;
• 25 percent are eating pretzels;
• 17 percent are eating potato chips;
• 14 percent are eating tortilla chips; and
• 9 percent are eating cheese puffs.

If my math is right, that leaves 10 percent unaccounted for, and probably eating some food not in the Snack Food Associations questionnaire. Hopefully, it's apples, carrots or yogurt.

For Americans, in particular, snacking is a way of life. In the U.S. we love to snack and we do it more than any other nation. We boast the largest snack food market in the world, with over $13.4 billion spent on snacks (especially chips, popcorn, nuts and pretzels) per year, compared to Europe's $650 million. Per person, we down 23 pounds of snack each year. That's more than twice as much as the Dutch (11 pounds per year) and nine times more than the Italians (2.5 pounds per year). Why? It may be partly due to the fact that we skip so many meals. Another survey, this time carried out by the American Dietetic Association, showed that 28 percent of people report skipping meals "very often."

But don't feel guilty that you snack! Snacking may be the better way of eating. Students at Boston's Tufts University who had an afternoon snack scored higher on memory and concentration tests than did those who only had a diet soda. Other studies show that frequent small meals (alias, snacks) can also help keep one's blood-insulin levels more stable, thus avoiding fluctuations in energy levels.