By Kim Mendel, RD CDN
When you hear the word snack, do you think of healthy foods or chips and sweets? Does the thought of snacks make you feel like you shouldn’t be snacking, or that snacks are just for kids? Snacking can actually be beneficial to most people.
Examples of good snacks include low fat cheese sticks, wheat crackers, nuts and seeds (such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds), fruit with Greek yogurt, and rice cakes with avocado. Carrots, peppers, cucumbers, or any veggie you like can be dipped in low-fat cream cheese or hummus or can be eaten plain with a squeeze of lemon.
Snacking can be used to help control blood sugar, curb your appetite, prevent over-eating at the next meal, and even to help increase your daily vegetable intake. When you are practicing weight maintenance or reducing your caloric intake, make sure your snack contains no more than 100 calories. If you are counting carbohydrates, try to keep your snack to one carb serving (or 15 grams of carbs).
Remember……we are all individuals with a variety of nutrient needs. Speak to a dietitian or diabetes educator to get a better understanding of your daily caloric needs. Snacks are part of a healthy lifestyle and help you with your weight goals (weight loss, weight management and, for some, weight gain).
Kim Mendel is a Registered Dietician and Diabetes Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at km432@cornell.edu