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A snack is a portion of food often smallerthan a regular meal, generally eaten between meals.[1] Snacks comein a variety of forms including packaged and processed foods anditems made from fresh ingredients at home.

Traditionally, snacks were prepared from ingredients commonlyavailable in the home. Often leftovers, cold cuts sandwiches, nuts,fruit, and the like were used as snacks. The Dagwood sandwich wasoriginally the humorous result of a cartoon character's desire forlarge snacks. Beverages, such as coffee, are not generallyconsidered snacks though they may be consumed along with snackfoods. A beverage may be considered a snack if it possesses asubstantive food item (e.g., strawberries, bananas, kiwis) that hasbeen blended to create a smoothie.

Plain snacks like plain cereals, pasta, and vegetables are alsomildly popular, and the word snack has often been used to refer toa larger meal involving cooked or leftover items. Six-meal eatingis a form of eating that incorporates healthy snacks in betweensmall meals, to stave off hunger and promote weight loss.

With the spread of convenience stores, packaged snack foods becamea significant business. Snack foods are typically designed to beportable, quick, and satisfying. Processed snack foods are designedto be less perishable, more durable, and more portable thanprepared foods. They often contain substantial amounts ofsweeteners, preservatives, and appealing ingredients such aschocolate, peanuts, and specially-designed flavors (such asflavored potato chips). A snack eaten shortly before going to bedor during the night may be called a midnight snack.