How can I make my snacks healthier?

Dieticians, nutritionists, and researchers will tell you snacking’s not all bad. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition titled “The role of snacking in energy balance” noted that frequent small meals prevent becoming overweight and in some cases, we need to rethink if we’re actually having a snack or a healthy mini-meal.

Here are some healthy snacking tips:

• Have a glass of water before any snack. In many cases, “feeling
         hungry” is actually a response to being dehydrated. That’s why
         you often feel like you can’t eat enough after exercise -- you
         can’t because your body isn’t asking for calories, it’s asking for
         water.
• Choose healthy snacks -- a small portion of something that’s a
         healthy meal food is a good choice.
• Protein snacks help curb your appetite when you really are hungry
         between meals.
• If you’re craving a particular treat, don’t deny yourself, just eat a
         small portion, like a fun-size candy bar, four marshmallows, etc.

Here is a recipe that makes chocolate healthier, while increasing your fruit intake:

4oz bittersweet chocolate

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/4 c of slivered almonds

Melt chocolate in double boiler; Gently mix in berries; put wax paper on a baking pan and place small piles of almonds on the sheet. Drop some chocolate mixture on each pile; Shape into a cluster. Chill for 45 minutes. 

Serving size= 1 cluster

35 calories; 2 grams fat; 4 grams of carbohydrate; 1 gram protein.

Recipe from Fall 2010/Winter 11 "The Wellness Advisor."

There's nothing wrong with snacking -- in fact, if you do it right, it can help your diet instead of derailing it. In this video, sports nutritionist and Dr. Oz Show guest Heidi Skolnik tells you the  snack foods that will banish hunger pangs and help you lose that extra weight.