Exercise Plus Nutrition | Snacks

Snacks are considered foods eaten in between meals.  It is fine to eat between meals as long as what you are eating is healthy.  If you lead a active life you may get hungry, snacks are a great way to satisfy your hunger and get the added nutrients your body needs.  If you need to have a snack you should be careful of what you eat.  Eating fries or junk food is high in fat and may fill you up at the time and give you a temporary boost of energy but it will only make you sluggish in the long term.

Snacking on healthy food will give your body the fuel you need to complete the rest of the day.  To maintain your energy levels you should avoid food which is high in sugar like candy bars and soda.  It is better to eat foods which are high in simple carbohydrates like whole grain breads and cereals.  They should be combined with foods which are high in protein, such as nuts, cheese and yogurt.

When shopping for healthy snacks you need to be careful of the snacks you choose.  Advertising on food wrappers can be misleading.  Some wrappers may say “all natural” or “low fat” but may be high in sugar or fat.   An example of this is fruit juice which may sound healthy but can be filled with sugar.  If they are high in sugar it means the juice will be high in calories and will not have much nutritious value. You should check the nutritional facts label on the wrapper to be sure of the foods ingredients.   A Snack should be low in fat and sugar, if the wrapper states it is low fat check the label for the amount of sugar which is in the food.  A good example of food which may appear to be healthy but is high in fat and sugar is cereal or granola bars.  Most granola bars contain 35% of fat and are high in sugar. 

By choosing a variety of snacks this will enable you to keep it interesting.  Foods in a Low Fat Diet are the best way to go when snacking.  Fruit is a great food to have handy. You could eat some rice crackers or whole grain crackers and a small amount of peanut butter.  A glass of low fat milk will sustain your energy and be a lot more nutritional than a can of soda.

If you have cravings for chocolate instead of eating a chocolate bar you could have a cup of hot chocolate.  A chocolate bar will have approximately 230 calories and 14g of fat whereas a hot chocolate made with low fat milk only contains about 145 calories and 3g of fat.  This will help you satisfy your cravings and give you calcium from the milk.  

In order to live a healthy life and to have the energy you need to get you through your busy life it is important to keep a close check on your Diet and Nutrition