Healthy Snacking

Healthy Snacking
Here are a few tips on healthy snacking. The first thing that is important to know is why are we so hungry? The answer is that during adolescence, the body demands lots of nutrients to grow. So, although it may be very tempting to grab a burger or bag of chips when you are hungry, there are better choices to choose from. When you are looking for the right snack, you want to choose a food that has a lot of complex carbohydrates like whole grain, and combine it with another food that is protein rich like peanut butter or yogurt.

Another question that seems to pop up when trying to choose the right snack is how do I know if it is healthy? Well, first of all, just because something says "pure" or "all natural" it does not always mean that the snack is healthy. An example would be an all natural juice drink that has lots of sugar. Another thing is you must always look on the Nutrition Facts Label for things like trans fat, which is something you really want to avoid. By looking at the label, you can tell what kinds of ingredients and nutrients are in your snack.

Overall, the main thing to keep in mind is to just stick to healthy food and not get caught up in the moment of being hungry, and then end up eating something completely unhealthy. As long as you keep a few healthy snacks in your bag, you should last the day without craving unhealthy foods. Here are a few healthy choices:

1. Ants on a log: Peanut Butter on celery sticks. Add raisins.

2. Trail Mix: Whole grain toasted oat cereal w/ chopped walnuts and dried cranberries.

3. Healthy Ice Pops: Freeze 100% fruit juice in ice pop molds or ice trays.