Healthy Snacking

For a lot of us, eating snacks is what gets us through the day. Snacking isn’t bad for you if you do it in moderation and make healthy choices. Healthy snacks might sound bland and uninteresting, but you’d be surprised at just how tasty they can be. Snacks can provide energy between meals and can help you make better choices at mealtimes.

According to Eatright.org, snacks should contain 200 calories or less for less active people and between 200-300 calories for teens and more active adults.

Tips for healthy snacking:

• Try snacking only when you’re hungry—eating when you’re bored could lead to unwanted weight gain
• Practice portion control—this helps prevent you from eating the whole bag of chips
• Be safe—practicing food safety is important so keep a cooler handy in case your snack needs to stay cold
• Check out some examples of ready-to-eat snacks to try!
  • Make trail mix by combining whole grain cereals, nuts or seeds, and dried fruit (Hint: portion into ¼ cup servings)
  • Blend smoothies by adding 1 cup of fat-free milk and frozen fruit to a blender
  • Mix 3 cups air-popped popcorn with grated cheese or dried spices
  • Bake vegetable chips, like kale or beets
  • Roast chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) and season with spices
  • Make a dip using low-fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt for raw vegetables

Source: Eatright.org Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics