When we think about snacking, most of us zero in on chips and dips, cookies and cakes, pizza and beer, or ice cream with hot fudge. We tend to think of snacks as food outside the boundaries of regular nutrition, foods that seem to exist only for pure pleasure.
In order to learn to eat in more healthy ways, it’s important to take a closer look at what we’re eating when we snack. This is especially important considering the emergence of low fat and nonfat baked goods and other “healthy” junk food that have lulled people into thinking they can eat as much as they want. The trouble, of course, is that low fat cookies still contain calories-and fat.
Good snacks come from the same food categories as good food: lean meats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and skim milk products. Next time you’re in the mood for a mid-day snack, think twice about what you’re eating. A snack that’s high in calories and/or fat can undermine a day of otherwise healthy eating.