What are healthy snack options?

Think about your snack like you would a balanced meal: try to include a little bit of protein and/or fiber to ensure that your snack satisfies your hunger. Some of my go-to recommendations include:

• Part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks with red grapes
• Low-fat cheese rounds or cheese wedges with whole wheat crackers or rye crispbreads
• Apple slices with all-natural peanut butter (i.e. without hydrogenated oils)
• Homemade trail mix with dried fruits, nuts and seeds
• High fiber granola bars
• Non-fat plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with your own fruit topping
• Sliced peppers, carrots, celery dipped into hummus
• Rolled up fresh slices of nitrate-free lean deli meats

Focusing on these whole foods snacks will help fill your hunger gaps in between meals without leaving you bloated or in an energy slump like many processed and packaged foods do.

Think of a healthy snack as a mini meal (one that includes protein and carbs); portions should be smaller than at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And chances are that this mini meal is not going to be found in the vending machine.

Here are some snack tips:

1. Limit a snack to approximately 200 calories maximum.

2. Turn coffee or tea into a snack by adding a cup of low-fat milk or soymilk.

3. Do not have a carbohydrate alone (such as an apple or a serving of crackers); you will still be hungry. Instead, pair a carb with a lean protein or healthy fat. Have low-fat cheese with your apple, or some peanut butter on your whole grain crackers.

4. It’s okay to have carbs alone before bed (such as a piece of fruit) because it doesn’t need to keep you full—you’re about to go to sleep.

5. Don’t double dip. For instance, don’t do string cheese and nuts, or string cheese and yogurt. Instead, choose one high-fiber carb and one lean protein or healthy fat; otherwise your calories (and fat) can add up.

6. When you eat straight from the bag, box, or can, you’ll consume more. Preportion items like nuts in resealable snack-size bags.

7. Try to keep snacktime to three hours after you have eaten. If you eat it too close to your last meal, it won’t do its job for the next meal.

8. If buying an energy bar, read the label and look for more fiber and protein, less calories and fat.

9. Just because it’s a “100-calorie pack” doesn’t mean it is a healthy snack. Make sure it offers some fiber and protein or healthy fat—and if not, skip it.

Healthy snack options are foods that are nutrient dense and calorie poor. They will recharge your body and give you energy and important nutrients without packing on the pounds. To be considered a snack they should be less than 200 calories, as we are not talking about a meal. They are usually consumed mid morning and mid afternoon in between your breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner and sometimes in conjunction with exercise.

Some of my favorites are:

• Protein shakes or bars
• Healthy unsalted nuts or my homemade trail mix which uses unsalted nuts and seeds and dried fruits with no added sugar
• Apples with natural peanut butter
• Greek yogurt with fresh fruit
• Homemade healthy baked goods
• Air popped popcorn with spices
• Artic zero ice cream, made from protein and fiber

Remember to only snack when you are hungry. A great snack includes a small portion of a protein and carbohydrate food for lasting energy. Here are a couple of simple snack options:

• Graham crackers and low fat milk or yogurt for dipping
• A whole grain tortilla with peanut butter or almond butter and sliced banana
• Instant oatmeal with Greek yogurt and berries
• String cheese with grapes
• Trail mix with soy nuts, almonds, and whole grain cereal
• Apple slices spread with a nut butter

There are lots of healthy snacks, some already recommended by Dr. Oz.  Health food stores are a good option when looking for such items.  A rule of thumb in regular supermarkets is to go around the perimeter of the store and seek out healthier items and avoid the aisles and all the processed foods and foods with harmful ingredients.

Regular supermarkets can be lethal for your health!  To protect yourself you can even buy books with a listing of items and look up what you are not sure about.  But specifically seek out "ORGANIC" products which are being carried now more and more even in regular supermarkets, not just health food stores.

One particular company has created a theme of KINDNESS around all of its healthy bars which "fill you up, not out."  KIND bars can be purchased online and auto shipped at a significant discount even beyond that in stores like Trader Joe's.

HAPPY SNACKING!