Snacking on the Rise

by Shereen Jegtvig

According to a new report, Americans are snacking more often and that trend is going to increase.  As it is, snacking isn’t good or bad, really, it depends on how you do it.  Eating snacks can be bad if you choose foods high in calories with lots of sugar and unhealthy fats, or snacking can be good if you choose healthy snacks that can boost your daily nutritional intake.  Of course, even with healthy snacking you’ll have to watch your calories if you need to maintain or lose weight.  Adding a 250 calorie snack every day will also add about one extra pound of fat to your hips or belly every two weeks.  If you snack, be sure to know how much you are eating and reduce the same number of calories from one of your regular meals.

Some people prefer to eat six or seven snacks every day instead of three full meals.  Some people believe this practice helps keep blood sugar level because you avoid the natural rise of blood sugar due to eating carbohydrates and fall of blood sugar due to the increased production of insulin.  Other people just feel it is easier to control their calorie intake if they just nibble snack size meals all day.  The key is to not let small snacks turn into full meals, which will lead to too many calories and weight gain.  

If you are looking to gain weight, eating snacks will help you, especially if you choose energy-dense, but still healthy snacks such as trail mixes made with dried fruits and nuts and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on whole grain bread.  Drinking fruit juice instead of soda is another way to add calories to you day and extra good nutrition.

Most of us, however, are more interested in maintaining our weight or losing a few pounds and snacking can help with that if you follow these snacking rules:
•    Stay within your daily calorie budget.
•    Choose healthy snacks including fruits, vegetables, nuts and low-fat dairy products.
•    Keep unhealthy snacks to a minimum – this includes greasy chips, candy, cookies and pastries that are high in calories but low in nutrition (no more than 100 calories or so per day).
•    Reduce the size of your regular meals to make room for snack calories.
•    Don’t like to eat breakfast?  Choose two small morning snacks instead, such as a hard-boiled egg, or a cup of yogurt, then at mid-morning, enjoy a piece of fresh fruit and a handful of nuts.

The best snacks include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain crackers and breads, low-fat dairy products – all in small portions.  Unfortunately, these fresh foods aren’t always convenient and you may want to carry a snack with you to eat during the day.  Trail mix travels well or you can choose healthy protein bars or granola bars.  Look for bars that are not too high in sugar or sodium and contain at least 3 grams of fiber per bar.  Remember to keep an eye on the calories – most bars have 200 to 300 calories per bar.  Take a look at granola bars arranged by amount of fiber:

Be sure to read through the individual ingredients, though, because many of these granola bars contain added sugars you don’t need. The Back to Nature Hi Protein Bar looks like your best bet.

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