It’s too bad that snack foods are so dangerously unhealthy, otherwise I could live on packaged snacks — crunchy, salty, cheesy, sweet, easily available, no cooking, no dishes — yep, sounds good! Despite that convenience, I don’t often eat foods normally labeled as “snack,” though in a way, everything I eat is a snack since one of the definitions of snack is “a very small meal,” and I seldom eat a large meal. (Unless it’s one of those rare occasions I visit a Chinese restaurant.)
Still, I have created a few snacks for myself, such as peanuts and chocolate chips or walnuts and raisins. Or best of all, dried oranges drizzled with dark chocolate. Yum.
But that’s not the question. The question is what snack I would have right now. Considering that I am limiting sugar intake this month (except for honey in my tea), as well as staying away from grains, my choices are limited. So what would I eat right? Probably a hamburger patty topped with cheese. Or perhaps the last of my Christmas gift summer sausage with a few pickle chips. Or even a little tuna salad.
What a boring food life I lead!
Luckily, I read a lot and can vicariously enjoy many delicious snacks through the characters. Though, come to think of it, too many women characters sigh and moan when eating something special as if they were having a sexual experience, and that’s not something I would ever do. Food is just . . . food. I suppose eating is a sensual experience (well, of course it is — taste is a sense) but considering how I have limited my diet, eating, even snacking, is more about staving off hunger than anything else.
But now this blog prompt has got me thinking about ice cream and chocolate and cheesy snacks. Resolutions are meant to be broken, right? It’s a good thing the roads are too slick for me to drive, otherwise I’d forget my healthy intentions and head out to the store. Whew! Saved by the snow.
Of course, I cook bake something, brownies, perhaps, but no. Too much work. It’s easier to stick to my resolution.
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Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One.
Bertram's Blog 
January 12, 2026 at 8:27 am
I have all kinds of snack food. I just have no appetite for anything. Is this abnormal given that I soon will be starting my 3rd year of grief? Yes, the snow has me rethinking if I even want to go out to get groceries.
January 12, 2026 at 8:35 am
It’s absolutely normal. I know you don’t want to hear it, but it takes years — generally three to five — to find any sort of renewed interest in life.
January 12, 2026 at 12:40 pm
No, I do want to hear it. It hurts but it is what it is and I need to know my timeline. At 82 I have to beat the timeline. Went grocery shopping this A.M. and my thought was , ‘”what can I get to help me get healthy agsin. Still , I must admit I did buy soda. I was really bad huh?