The need to nibble during the day is almost universal. Even those who keep to structured meals often find themselves looking for something small between breakfast and lunch or in the late afternoon.
Snacks, research shows, are not necessarily a harmful habit: a review in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition even found that eating one or two snacks a day may be more nutritious than three snack-free meals, in part because it reduces overeating at main meals and eases the digestive load.
However, gastroenterology experts say the critical question is not whether to snack, but what to choose.
Digestive-health experts would be happy to see chips disappear
“If there is one snack I would like people to stop eating, it is bagged potato chips that are considered ultra-processed foods,” says Dr. Jason Korenblit, a gastroenterologist and digestive-health specialist. He refers mainly to fried chips sold in packages with long ingredient lists: refined starches, industrial oils, artificial flavorings, cheese powders, and preservatives.
A bagged potato chip snack is a classic example of ultra-processed food, a category that many studies link to harmful effects on gut health. “A diet rich in ultra-processed foods has been associated with worsening symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases and with a higher risk of colorectal cancer, alongside obesity, diabetes, and heart disease,” he explains.
He argues that while the occasional bag of chips may not be detrimental, consuming them on a daily basis can harm the gut in multiple ways. First, these snacks contain almost no dietary fiber, the primary food for beneficial gut bacteria. “When we eat low-fiber snacks, we feed ourselves, but not our microbiome,” Korenblit says. In contrast, a high-fiber diet supports a diverse community of helpful bacteria and the production of short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, which reduce inflammation and strengthen the intestinal lining.
Beyond that, frying processes create pro-inflammatory compounds, and some industrial additives may damage the mucus layer that protects the intestinal wall and alter the microbiome’s composition. “This does not mean that one bag of chips will ruin your gut, but steady exposure over years can push the system toward chronic, low-grade inflammation,” he stresses.
According to Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a physician and lecturer at Harvard Medical School, the problem worsens when chips are paired with sugary drinks. “I wish we could remove high-sugar beverages from the daily menu,” she says, noting that studies have identified them as a risk factor for early-onset colorectal cancer.
So what should you snack on?
If processed snacks and sugary drinks are off the table, the experts propose simple, available alternatives that require no preparation. Dr. Paul Feuerstadt, a gastroenterologist and clinical professor at Yale University, recommends natural, high-fiber foods: nuts, berries, and legume-based snacks such as hummus or roasted chickpeas.
“Each of these foods supports the gut in a different way, yet all of them increase the diversity of beneficial bacteria,” he explains. Yogurt also enjoys broad agreement among the experts thanks to its probiotic content. “Yogurt with live cultures helps balance the microbiome and has even been linked to reduced risk of some colorectal cancers,” Dr. Korenblit notes, recommending pairing it with nuts and berries to amplify the effect.
In the end, the experts’ message is not extreme. “Do not strive for perfection,” Dr. Pasricha concludes. “Small changes that you can maintain over time have a far greater impact than a strict diet that does not last.