Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
Snacking
简体
Snacking
吃零食

Food English Lesson

Date: Oct 26 2012

Themes: Food

Grammar: Contractions and Abbreviations

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

There you are, in the hours between lunch and dinner, and it happens. You want a snack! There’s not necessarily anything inherently wrong with snacking, but, if you start snacking on lots of junk food, it can be a slippery slope.

Is the answer to make sure that you only keep healthy snacks around, like carrots or apples? Or can you eat some food that’s bad for you, as long as you limit how much you allow yourself? Hear Mason and Vanessa discuss the ways they avoid, and indulge in, snacking.

在午餐和晚餐之间,有时会出现这种情况:你想吃零食!吃零食本身不一定有错,但是,如果你吃了很多垃圾食品,便会开始出现很大的问题。

这是你确保只随身携带健康零食的原因吗,例如胡萝卜或苹果?或者只要限量,你是否可以吃一些不健康的食物?听听梅森和瓦内萨谈论他们如何避免和沉醉于吃零食。

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

Log in to Listen

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Vanessa

Vanessa

Mason

Mason

Vanessa:  I have a really bad habit, I think, of snacking all the time between meals. Do you do that, or are you a three-meals-a-day sort of guy?

Mason:  No, I definitely munch now and again between meals, but, you know, honestly, it’s mostly because at my work they give us lots of free food, so it’s just there. It’s a crime of convenience.

Vanessa:  That sounds nice.

Mason:  Yeah, we just got our shipment in and I’m loaded up with goldfish, and string cheese, and way too much soda. I barely drank soda until I started this job and it’s like, it’s there all the time!

Vanessa:  Oh, soda’s not very good for you.

Mason:  No, I’ve tried to get them to bring in some different, more healthy stuff. Just like, V8 juice, and an apple very now and again.

Vanessa:  That sounds like a more nutritious snack. With my job, I have to eat on the run constantly. I’m always in my car, so I’m just grabbing little bites wherever I can find a minute to do that.

Mason:  Are you at least eating healthy stuff, or is it mostly junk food?

Vanessa:  Hmmm. To be honest, about half and half. Half junk food, half nutritious food. So, you know, I’ll have some carrot sticks, and then I’ll have some gummy bears!

 

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Contractions and Abbreviations" from this lesson Go Super!

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz Go Super!

 

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3 Go Super!

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

Vanessa tells Mason that she’s got a bad habit of snacking between meals. It turns out that Mason shares the same habit, mostly because his work provides lots of free food. He has easy access to goldfish crackers, cheese, and, worst of all, soda. Sometimes he’s convinced his office to bring in some healthier food, though.

It’s not as convenient for Vanessa to snack during the day. She’s on the run constantly for her job, so she just takes whatever snack is available. She strikes a good balance between healthy snacks and junk food, though.

Do you snack? Do you tend to have more healthy snacks or more junk food? Do you think snacking is always a bad thing?

 

Comments

Log in to Comment

swadeep

swadeep

India

during holidays in my home ohhh loads and lots of food i have, but during college three meals a day. eat yar what u can in this age, after 40 yrs u should maintain diet right and take proper food. so njoy the taste of all food varieties.

04:03 AM Oct 27 2012 |

Morninggirl

China

I’m a three-meals- a day sort of person. For me, the main nutrition and energy come from meals. On the basis of this, I take a small amount of snacks every day and they are almost all healthy snacks. They serve as a supplement to the meals. So I don’t think snacking is always a bad thing. It depends on how you take snacks, what snacks you choose, how much you take according to how much you need, and at what time you should take.


To have snacks rationally, first you must keep in mind you should never let snacks take place of meals. Don’t eat too much snacks between meals because when the meal time comes, you’ll not feel like eating any more. This way of taking snacks is totally not healthy. Actually I have a friend who likes snacks very much, and she eat a little for meal, sometimes she even don’t have meals. I’ve tried to persuade her for several times, but it’s really hard for her to change the bad habits.


Second you should always choose some healthy snacks like fruit which contain lots of vitamine but few carbohydrates, so you don’t need to worry about gaining weight. And yoghourt which contain high grade protein and calcium. For other snacks that contain high energy like chocolates, biscuits, gummy bears, you should be careful not to take too much of them.


Last but not the least, the time you choose to eat snacks. When you are hungry or tired, you eat. You’d better eat snacks at least one hour before or after meals, so they will not affect your meals.


In all, we should choose healthy snacks and take snacks in a proper way and they will be good for our health. You can see that I do pay attention to nutrition and have balanced food. Cause I believe the food you eat finally constitute yourself.

02:52 AM Oct 27 2012 |

wajed

United Kingdom

Yes, I often snack some hours after lunch and that happens mostly at work.

08:34 PM Oct 26 2012 |

Nabilo

Nabilo

Germany

Yes, I often snack some hours after lunch and that happens mostly at work. My meals are aktually quite healthy and nutritious but my snacks are not. I can not change this habit in any way, although I know that’s always a bad thing to snack when the junk food at stake. But I will always try to stop having unhealthy snacks.

06:30 PM Oct 26 2012 |

handwriter

handwriter

Norway

You are right – I guess it isn’t what we eat so much, as it is to how much we eat apposed to how much of it we are able to burn off or use without storing it longer than would be needed – we aren’t scavengers anymore, so we don’t need to store up food as much as we once did – having had long periods of not having food readably accessible to eat.

04:47 PM Oct 26 2012 |

asala

asala

Israel

actually , i don’t snack so much between lunch and dinner , but i can’t say that all my food are healthy , because of school and coming back exhausted it makes me sick and i don’t need  anything but the rest   , but out of the school , i eat so much snacks lol

04:23 PM Oct 26 2012 |

1 person likes this

Lubomusl

Lubomusl

Russian Federation

All my day consists of snaks,because I don’t have much time to cook.I don’t think It is unhealthy if you eat fresh foods. 

03:47 PM Oct 26 2012 |

knuschu

knuschu

Germany

our weakness is, to have a cup of coffee with a piece of cake at afternoon. It`s not even healthy, but cozy ;-) But we do not eat junk food like Mc D or sth. similar.


No, snacking is not always a bad thing. I think, a piece of chocolate or gummy bears can improve mood, and this is healthy.

03:25 PM Oct 26 2012 |

Eva100

Eva100

Russian Federation

I’m snacking constantly,but I prefer more helthy and low-cal snacks. So I always carry in my bag still water and an apple or banana or yogurt. Im sure that snaking is a good thing.Even many nutritionists says that its better for us 5 little meals a day than two or three more big meals :) 

03:13 PM Oct 26 2012 |

handwriter

handwriter

Norway

Each time we want to make ourselves do something that we don’t want to do or try to resist the temptation to do something that we shouldn’t do, we are up against many obstacles that interfere with successful self-control. Often, we fail. We are not designed to be paragons of self-control, so we just have to accept the fact that some times we have to work extra hard when we find ourselves pulled in different directions by competing desires. 

02:46 PM Oct 26 2012 |

princessanika

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i think many people snacking when they are very sad,but it is very bad i do that tooFrown

02:44 PM Oct 26 2012 |

tumbili

Germany

I don’t think that snacking is always a bad thing. I always snack at school in the first break. In my opinion this is important as you need energy to think and a little snack can help you to concentrate better. Of course to affect this, the snack should be healthy. I usually take an apple or another fruit to school. Anyway I also snack in the afternoon and then not always healthy food. But I think it is also okay if you eat sweets, you just shouldn’t eat to much of it. 

02:07 PM Oct 26 2012 |

Nantez93

Nantez93

Germany

I’m constantly snaking in school beacause in the morning I don’t have so much time to breakfast a then I’m hungry so  I’m munching everything I get into my hands :D …. snaking is good but how I say – everything with moderation :)

01:23 PM Oct 26 2012 |

sihle

South Africa

I do munch snacks during the day but in the evening full meal of healthy food.

12:45 PM Oct 26 2012 |

1 person likes this

doa'a

doa'a

Yemen

acctuly…..i dont eat well so i call everything i eat snacks…...i dont mean unhealthy food but…...normal food…....i think its bad cozu will not get the vitamins that we should get….....

12:21 PM Oct 26 2012 |

1 person likes this

Irene Forever

Ukraine

I like it too, Foz. Muhch…munch…yummy.:)

12:21 PM Oct 26 2012 |

foz12

foz12

Saudi Arabia

You remind me when you mentioned the purse of the Doctors show in one episode that it’s good to have a nuts inside the bag so whenever  hunger comes I can munch it (I loved this new word munch so you all find me use it lol).

11:48 AM Oct 26 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

As I often go from place to place, sometimes I feel hungry between meals. Actually, I don’t have an exact time for meals. I eat when I’m hungry and have time for it. If I am on my way and want to have a  snack, I have some nuts in my purse. It’s the best way for me to satisfy my appetite. I never eat junk food in addition to meals. But still, in fact ,very seldom I go to McDonalds instead of a meal. No doubt, healthy food is preferable for me.

foz12

foz12

Saudi Arabia

unfortunately I’m munching junk food when I’m hungry between the meals. and I’m trying to change my habit by eating some nuts sometimes. good lesson remind us to think about what to eat beside the new words.

Love off

Love off

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i snack just when i’m very angry or very sad very much,but after that i do a lot of sports because it isen’t very good because u will be sick.

09:24 AM Oct 26 2012 |

1 person likes this

Likes (41):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast