Keep Healthy Snacks Handy

News Flash: Snacks are Healthy!

-- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer

Research actually shows that snacking in between meals, or even eating 4-5 smaller meals throughout the day, is better for you than the traditional two or three larger meal routine. That is, of course, if you are eating nutritious snacks instead of the all-too-popular vending machine potato chips and soda, which many of us are drawn to.

So really, it’s a matter of making good snack choices when it’s time for a food break. Power foods are always a good bet, because they usually combine high nutrients and lower calories. These could be anything from grains to dairy to fruits and vegetables.

Healthy snack choices start at the grocery store. That’s where the decision is made to eat healthy snacks – not at the office or on the couch, but at the grocery.

You still want to watch how much of these healthy snacks you eat. This is a snack, remember, not a meal. So buy, cut up or make single servings of any snack food you can. Here are some healthy snack ideas to consider next time you head to the grocery.

Healthy Snack Ideas

Yogurt Fruit cup Apple Banana Pear Peach Grapes Plum Orange Berries Watermelon Raisins Carrots Celery Broccoli Mixed nuts Tomato Chicken noodle soup Cauliflower

Green or red peppers Peanut butter crackers Nuts Whole wheat cereal with skim milk Trail mix Oatmeal Whole wheat bagel or toast Pure bran muffins Fruit smoothie Spinach Sweet potato Broth-based vegetable soup Skim and low-fat milk Bean soup

• CAROLJ35 "I really wanted to say "Great source of potassium in dried apricots". I ne..."
• CAROLJ35 "To satisfy my sweet tooth, I have a serving of dried apricots. Great sourc..."
• ELLAPOR "The list of healthy snacks is a really helpful start. I'll be hanging this..."