Snacking can be healthy

SNACKING will not make you fat: Only too many calories overall will  do that. In fact, a 100 — to 200 — calorie snack eaten two to three hours before a meal can take the edge off your hunger and keep you from overeating.

* Don’t think of snacks as extras. Make them a part of your food plan for the day.

* View snacks as mini-meals. Have them fill in the voids left by what you didn’t eat, or won’t be eating, at meals. Think “snacks to fill the cracks.”

* Plan snacks ahead of time to avoid grabbing the first thing you see. Budget higher-fat snacks. There’s no need to give them up completely; just be sure they fit into your day’s total for fat and calories.

* Warning! Even low-fat snacks will cause you to gain weight if you overdo it. Low-fat foods often use extra sugar and calories for taste. Snack only when you’re hungry, not when you’re bored, anxious, etc.

* Pay attention to your snacking to avoid overdoing it. Focus on what you’re eating, and enjoy your snack.

* Be prepared. Have on hand in convenient places (such as your car, briefcase, workout bag) whole-grain crackers, juice boxes, fig bars, a whole-grain bagel, flavoured rice cakes and dried fruit. At home, make sure to stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, whole-grain cereals, breads and crackers.

* For good dental health, eat high-fibre snacks. Fibre stimulates salivation, which helps wash away excess sugar, helping to prevent cavities.

* Better to eat a snack when you are slightly hungry than to pig out when you are ravenous. Try to limit your snacks to between 100 and 200 calories, and make them low-fat and high-carbohydrate.