Snacking the smart way!

Eating throughout the day is important-whether you call it a meal or a snack its best not go to too many hours without eating. I notice with myself, but when I don’t eat normally I get moody and nobody likes that. This is my blood sugar dropping. It is best to try to keep things level by eating more often.

Now it’s back to school time and when you arrive home from school the first place a lot of us go is the fridge or cupboard in search of something tasty to satisfy our hunger. It’s important to have the right food on hand to make a healthy and delicious snack.

We have come up with a list of great snack ideas that are tasty and filling.

One thing to keep in mind is to make sure you include protein in your snack, and always read labels to watch the portion size.

• Apples and low fat string cheese
• Low fat graham crackers and crumbled in non fat cottage cheese
• Yogurt dip with fruit slices
• String cheese with whole grain crackers
• Salsa with baked chips
• Whole grain low sugar cereal and milk
• Raw –food fruit and nut bars
• Whole grain pretzels and almond butter
• Low fat cinnamon graham crackers and peanut or cashew butter
• Guacamole or hummus with jicama sticks
• Smoothies with yogurt, milk frozen berries and bananas
• Organic dried veggies

Other things to remember:

Read the labels: natural doesn’t always mean the best choice, watch for fat, sugar and fiber. Go easy on the juice: though a good source of vitamins it’s full of concentrated calories.  Try dipping it: veggies dipped in hummus or Greek yogurt based dip are better than chips.  Accessible and quick: food that is already put together-string cheese; yogurt and nuts are all great choices. Choose a satisfying combo: combine protein and a whole grain carbohydrate source, if you crave sweets add cinnamon or a small amount of honey.

Let us know what some of your favorite snacks are.