Don’t feel guilty about snacking! Eating small, frequent meals can help you
control your weight and stay fueled throughout the day. Just make sure your snacks—and
those you serve your kids—are nutritious. Find out more about healthy snacking by
taking
the following quiz.
1. One way to limit the size of your snacks is to buy food
packaged in single servings.
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Buying
single-serving packages makes it easy to monitor how much you're eating. This is
especially useful for higher-calorie snack foods like chips and soda. When you dip
into
a larger bag, you may consume more calories than intended. With multi-serving packages,
look at the Nutrition Facts panel to find out the recommended portion size and measure
out just that amount.
2. You can snack more freely if your snacks are healthy.
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If you replace
chips and soda with low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, or whole-grain crackers, you are
getting more nutrition and probably fewer calories. Remember, though, that eating
more
calories—even nutritious calories—than you burn can lead to weight gain.
3. Snacking can have an impact not only on your weight, but also
on your teeth.
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Sugary snacks,
especially if you eat them throughout the day, can promote tooth decay. Sweet chewy
snacks are especially a problem because they stick to your teeth. They stay in your
mouth longer than other snacks. Acids also form in your mouth whenever you eat sugary
foods, so the more often you eat sugary foods, the more often your teeth are attacked
by
acid.
4. Baby carrots and sugar snap peas are good choices for
snacks—and they help boost your daily veggie intake.
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Crunchy raw
vegetables are popular with kids, too. Serve them with a low-fat dressing or hummus
for
dipping. To keep it interesting, try more exotic vegetables like jicama strips and
sliced red bell peppers.
5. Pudding is a healthy snack if you make it with low-fat or skim
milk.
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Calcium-rich
snacks are important for children and teens, but adults can benefit, too. Other snacks
that boost calcium intake with a minimum of fat and calories:
Fruit smoothie made with fruit, ice, and skim milk
Low-fat or fat-free frozen yogurt
Low-fat or fat-free string cheese
Low-fat or skim chocolate- or strawberry-flavored milk
6. Baked tortilla chips are a low-fat snack that also provides
fiber.
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The USDA offers
these other suggestions for fiber-rich snacking: ready-to-eat whole-grain cereals
and
popcorn made with little or no added salt and butter. When baking, add whole-grain
flour
or oatmeal to cookies and snack cakes.
7. Snacking late at night is the only way to pack on the
pounds.
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It doesn't
matter when you snack, but what you snack on and how much you eat. For best weight
control, space your meals and snacks about three to four hours apart. Any snacking
you
do between meals should be in small quantities—crackers and low-fat cheese or apple
slices with peanut butter, for example. A snack combo of carbohydrates and protein
helps
you feel satisfied.
8. One handy after-school snack for kids is a fruit kabob, a mix
of fresh fruit and cheese.
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Strawberries,
melon, pineapple, and grapes are good choices, along with cubes of mozzarella, cheddar,
or other favorite cheese. Make them ahead and store them in a bag in the fridge. Use
skewers for older kids and toothpicks for younger children. Consider keeping two snack
choices on hand—one in the refrigerator and one in the cupboard. That way your kids
can
make their own choices.
