Snacks: How they fit into a healthy diet

The benefits of snacks

You may feel guilty about snacking, but snacks aren't necessarily bad. In fact, mini meals several times a day can be beneficial. Here's how:
Binge control. If eating several low-fat whole-grain crackers, a few pretzels, a piece of fruit or some raw vegetables keeps you from taking second or third helpings at your next meal, you may actually consume fewer total calories for the day.
Extra energy and nutrients. Traditional, made-at-home meals often lose out to busy schedules. A grab-and-go snack can be the difference between some nourishment and none at all.
Satisfaction for small appetites. Young children's tiny stomachs can hold only small portions of food at one time. Older adults who are less active and who burn fewer calories also may feel more comfortable eating smaller meals more frequently.

Do you ever have a Snack Attack? One of the most difficult parts of any diet regime is the sacrifice of comfort foods and snacks. Many dieters find that they have no trouble planning and eating sensible meals, but they falter when it comes to snacking. Potato chips, cookies and candy are easy targets for a hungry dieter because they require no preparation and can be eaten quickly before guilt has time to set in. The best way to avoid breaking your diet with junk food is to keep it out of your house altogether. If you have a family, or roommate that is not on your diet, that may not be possible. An alternate way to fight temptation is to keep a supply of healthy, diet-friendly snacks on hand. Snacking throughout the day can actually help you to lose weight by boosting your metabolism provided you keep the snacks healthy.

Traditional Diet Snacks
Traditionally, there were not a lot of options available when it came to snacking for dieters. Raw vegetables were generally thought to be a good choice, and many people still enjoy a snack of carrots, celery or fresh cauliflower throughout the day. Vegetables have the distinct advantage of being practically limitless, even when dieting. Low calorie, no fat Jello was a typical dessert substitute, as was fresh fruit. Carb cravings were satisfied by Melba toast, a diet-friendly bread option. While these choices are still good for todays dieters, nutritionists and diet experts have created a number of modern, healthy snacks that will not cause you to break your diet, but will give you more snacking satisfaction when you really crave something you should not be eating.

Modern Solutions to Healthy Snacking
There are numerous healthy snacking options available for todays dieters. As people have realized that diets need to be somewhat realistic in order to succeed, snacking has become an important factor in most diet plans. From low fat ice cream and frozen yogurt, to baked snacks like potato chips and pretzels, modern diet snacks are anything but plain and boring. Flavored rice cakes make an excellent crunch alternative, and even cookies are available in low fat, lower calorie versions. The thing to remember with all snacks is to watch the serving amount. Even diet snacks can negatively affect your calorie count if you over indulge. Eating the right snacks in the right amount can help you to keep your diet successful.

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