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Healthy Food Snacks Biography

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Snacking has gotten a bad rap, thanks to our tendency to choose empty-calorie snack foods like candy or chips to ease between-meal cravings. But when your stomach starts growling hours before your next meal, a healthy snack is actually a good idea, to hold off hunger and keep energy levels high.

The supermarkets are full of new products advertised as healthy snacks, many of which come packaged in individual bars, microwaveable cups, and 100-calorie pouches. But which ones pass the test of being both tasty and healthy (or at least not unhealthy)? I recently hit my market and came up with two dozen snacks that satisfy without calorie overkill.

These may not be "perfect" snacks, mind you. Some are a bit higher in sugar, saturated fat, or sodium than I would like. But most have:

Enough calories to be satisfying, but not so many that the snack becomes a meal.

Less fat and saturated fat than other similar snacks.

Whole grain and fiber, protein, and/or other nutrients that give them staying power.

Here are my picks for healthier supermarket snacks, whether you feel like having something sweet, something cool and creamy, something crunchy, or something hot and filling.

Healthy Snacks: Something Sweet

My five sweet snack choices include a higher-fiber pastry, creamy pudding, and three higher-fiber cookies.

Fat-Free Sugar-Free Instant Pudding (made with nonfat or 1% milk), various brands, 1.4-ounce box makes 2 cups. Per 1/2-cup serving made with nonfat milk: 80 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 6 g protein, less than 1 g fiber, 7 g sugar (from the natural sugar in milk).

Fiber One Bars (variousflavors, such as Blueberry), 6 pastries per box. Each pastry has 190 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 g protein, 5 g fiber, 15 g sugar

Nabisco 100% Whole Grain Fig Newtons, 1 pound bag. Fig Newtons have gone whole grain! Two cookies have 110 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 1 g protein, 2 g fiber, 12 g sugar (some of which comes from the figs).

South Beach Living Fiber Fit Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies, 6 individual packs per 5.1 ounce box. Among the ingredients in South Beach cookie packs are whole-grain wheat flour, high-oleic canola oil, and oat fiber. The sweeteners include sugar, maltitol (a sugar alcohol), sucralose (Splenda) and acesulfame potassium. Each pack of the double chocolate chunk variety has 100 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 1 g protein, 5 g fiber, 5 g sugar (2 g sugar alcohol).

South Beach Living Fiber Fit Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies, 6 packs per 5.1 ounce box. Each pack has 100 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 1 g protein, 5 g fiber, 5 g sugar (2 g sugar alcohol).

If you're after a healthy alternative to the usual afternoon sugar or fat ridden snack options, here are some great recipes that will satisfy your hunger without the extra calories.

Healthier snack ideas

We all probably snack more than we realise. It’s so easy to grab a chocolate bar or a bag of crisps if we’re hungry, instead of reaching for something healthier, that we don’t notice how often we do it.

If the snacks are there, we’ll eat them! But they can be full of hidden nasties, like saturated fat, salt and sugar. And in time, too much of these can lead to serious health problems like heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Try these ideas to get you started:

It’s the simplest tip in the book – but if you don’t have the snacks in the house, you won’t be able to eat them! Skip that aisle in the supermarket and try to avoid the checkouts with loads of treats on display.

Aim for three regular meals a day. So if you’re raiding the snack cupboard several times a day, have a think about the meals you’re eating and when. You could be filling up on calories when a meal would keep you going for longer.

If you’re feeling peckish, try a glass of water instead. Chances are you’re thirsty rather than hungry.

Try our ideas for healthier sweet and savoury snacks – they’re delicious!

Harriott:

Healthier alternatives to sweet snacks

Try these ideas and see if you can chuck the choccie!

Try some healthy ways with fruit - great for counting towards your 5 A DAY:

Chunks of melon, strawberries, grapes, or whatever you have to hand. Look out for fruit that’s in season, it’s likely to be cheaper.

Dried – how about just a few pieces of mango, banana, pineapple, cranberries or raisins? Don’t forget, a small handful is about the right amount of dried fruit for kids.

Low fat fruit yoghurt.

A handful of dry, reduced sugar cereal with a few raisins or sultanas.

Healthier savoury snack ideas

Instead of crisps, salted nuts, pork scratchings, which can all be high in salt and fat, try:

Baked crisps

Small handful of unsalted mixed nuts

Pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Pitta and lower fat dips like salsa or reduced fat hummus

Rice cakes with lower fat cream cheese and cucumber

Celery sticks filled with lower fat cream cheese

Homemade popcorn (without sugar or salt)

Unsalted ricecakes, corncakes or oatcakes

Fun for dipping

Snacking on veg also counts towards your 5 A DAY and ups your fibre intake too. So how about these:

Veg sticks - carrot, celery, baby sweetcorn, peppers and radishes with a reduced fat hummus dip

Sliced apple and a lower fat soft cheese to dip

For more healthy snack ideas, take a look at our recipe finder.

Always check the label

To find out how much salt, saturated fat and sugar is in snacks, check the nutrition label on packaged food.

Read more about food labelling

Even though I start the day with good intentions, I start to get bored and a bit tired about 11 o’clock and again about 4 – so I reach for the chocolate. What can I do to stop this happening?

There are a few ways you can beat the snack cravings. Fill up on breakfast at the beginning of the day – try our healthy breakfast ideas in the recipe finder. If you still get hungry mid-morning, try some of the ideas above for healthier alternatives.

If you’re at home, not having chocolate or snacks in the house means that you can’t eat them – unless you want to make a special trip to the shop!

Rule number one for sticking to a healthy snacking plan? Don’t get bored. These ideas all make the grade in terms of nutrition, but they’re a lot more imaginative than—snooze—a handful of almonds.

Want more ideas? Find more healthy snacks, specifically designed to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, then read our guide to healthy snacking.

Snacks can be a dieter's best friend, if you choose the right ones. The list below offers 50 between-meal bites that will help you stay slim and satisfied. Those marked with an * contain a protein, fiber, calcium or antioxidants to keep your body at its best. The rest will help fend off a craving without a lot of added fat, sugar or calories. No matter what you choose, you'll lose (weight, that is).

Salty snacks | Sweet snacks

Sate a salt craving

23 almonds (162 calories)*

This is our top savory super snack because it offers fiber, heart-healthy fats and vitamin E, which may help your body bounce back post-workout. The nuts also pack alpha-linolenic acid, which revs your body's fat-burning ability.

5 olives (any kind) (45 calories)

1 small Martin's pretzel (50 calories)

2 oz Applegate Honey and Maple Turkey Breast wrapped around 2 bread-and-butter pickles (80 calories)*

1/4 cup hummus, 3 carrot sticks (80 calories)*

1 Wasa Multigrain Crispbread topped with 1 tbsp avocado and 1 tbsp hummus (80 calories)*

6 steamed medium asparagus spears topped with 1 tablespoon toasted almond slivers (80 calories)*

1/3 cup 1/2-inch-thick potato slices tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of finely chopped rosemary, baked at 450 for 30 minutes (80 calories)*

1/4 cup black beans combined with 1 tbsp salsa, 1 tbsp cottage cheese and 1/2 tbsp guacamole; savor with 4 celery stalks (80 calories)*

1/4 cup 1/4-inch-thick cucumber slices, tossed with 3 oz nonfat plain yogurt, 2 tsp chopped cashews, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp finely chopped fresh dill (80 calories)*

1/2 slice whole-wheat toast brushed with 1/2 tsp olive oil, topped with 1 tbsp Greek yogurt and a mixture of 3 tbsp diced tomatoes with a pinch of chopped garlic and basil (80 calories)*

1 Laughing Cow Light Swiss Original wedge, 3 pieces Kavli Crispy Thin (85 calories)*

One 1-oz package tuna jerky (90 calories)*

1 oz buffalo mozzarella, 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (94 calories)*

1 bag Baked! Cheetos 100 Calorie Mini Bites (100 calories)

15 Eden's Nori Maki Crackers rice crackers (110 calories)

1 cup unshelled edamame (120 calories)*

25 Eden's Vegetable Chips (140 calories)

1/4 cup Trader Joe's Chili con Queso, 18 baked tortilla chips (140 calories)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds in shell (143 calories)*

2 pieces (30 grams) prosciutto, 4 dried figs (154 calories)*

9 cashews (180 calories)*

1 Subway Turkey Breast Wrap (190 calories)*

Satisfy a sweet tooth

8 oz plain yogurt (110 calories, 0 g fat)*

This get-skinny staple is the ultimate sweet snack. The mix of carbs and protein in lowfat yogurt keep blood sugar level, stave off hunger and helps your body store less fat. Add fresh berries for flavor and a punch of antioxidants.

1 Fla-Vor-Ice Lite Sugar-Free (5 calories)

10 frozen grapes (20 calories)*

1 package Original Apple Nature Valley Fruit Crisps (50 calories)

10 strawberries rolled in confectioners' sugar (71 calories)*

1 packet O'Coco's Mocha cookies (90 calories)

1 Strawberry Froz Fruit bar (90 calories)*

1 Jelly Belly 100-calorie pack (100 calories)

One 100-calorie pack Trader Joe's Chocolate Graham Toucan Cookies (100 calories)

One 100-calorie Balance Bar (100 calories)*

2 Raspberry Newtons (100 calories)*

1 Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino bar (120 calories)

1 package Back to Nature Honey Graham Sticks (120 calories)

1/2 banana rolled in 1 tbsp frozen semisweet chocolate chips (123 calories)*

2 tbsp Better 'n Peanut Butter, 4 stalks celery (124 calories)*

1 bag Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Butter Mini Bags topped with a spritz of butter spray and 1 tsp sugar (126 calories)*

1 candy apple with coconut shavings (130 calories)*

1/2 cup sliced pears with marshmallow cream topping (139 calories)*

24 Annie's Chocolate Chip Bunny Graham cookies (140 calories)

Half of a 1.08-oz container of M&M's Minis mixed with 1/3 cup lowfat granola (145 calories)

3/4 cup Cocoa Pebbles with 1/2 cup skim milk (157 calories)*

1 cup apple slices dipped in 2 tbsp caramel topping (160 calories)*

4 Entenmann's chocolate chip cookies (160 calories)

1 McDonald's Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait (160 calories)*

1 vanilla-almond shake: Blend 1/2 cup skim milk with 1/2 cup frozen yogurt and 1 drop almond extract (165 calories)*

3/4 cup warm apple sauce (165 calories)*

1 cup lowfat chocolate milk*