So Good Snacking

Have you found snacking to be a problem? Are you grazing instead of snacking? Grazing packs a lot of extra calories per day, but smart snacking can actually help in weight management. How? Planned snacks that are part of your daily meal pattern can help maintain blood sugar and satiety. Here are some tips.

Snack Guidelines:
•Plan your snacks. The plan not only includes what and how much, but when you have your snack. Have snacks ready to go and pack them for the day. Make a mental note of what time you will eat a snack. If you are home, put you snack on a plate and don’t go back for seconds!

•If there is 5 hours or more between meals, then plan a small snack. This should be no more than 2 ½ hours since you last ate at no less than 2 ½ hours when you plan on eating again.

•Avoid “mindless eating”. Enjoy your snack without the preoccupation of watching TV or surfing the net.

•Look for snacks with > 5 grams of protein and at least 3 grams of fiber.

•Limit Carbohydrates in snacks to no more than 30 grams (or 2 carbohydrate servings). Look for fresh fruits and whole grain crackers and crispbreads.

•Select “smart” fats (monosaturated fats) like nuts – but limit the portion.
Use zipper snack bags to count out nuts to avoid “container handfuls” that can put you over the top in calories. Remember- nuts and seeds make you feel fuller, longer.

•Avoid sugary, sweet, white flour type snacks as these may make you much hungrier in a short time and craving more sweets.

•Watch out for high protein bars (some are greater than 300 calories)

• What you chose to drink may have extra calories. Choose unsweetened iced tea, water and lemon, low fat (1% or skim milk). Know what is in those smoothies. If you like smoothies, make them yourself and take note of what is going in the blender! A recipe analysis program can help you calculate recipes and keep you on track.
  

Snack Suggestions:
•Low fat dairy- light-low fat yogurt is a great choice with added fresh fruit. Combine light string cheese or 2% fat cheese and high fiber crackers.

•Nuts and seeds- Nuts help you feel fuller longer thanks to the protein and healthy fats. In a snack bag- count out 10 almonds and combine with 4 chopped apricots to make you own trail mix.

•Whole Grains- look for high fiber crackers, pretzels. Popcorn is a great choice.

•Fruits and veggies- Fresh fruits and vegetables give you a sweetness with natural antioxidants and fiber. Try a handful of grapes (17) or 10 fresh cherries. Bite into a fresh apple.

•Grab and Go- Try a high fiber bar (Fiber one, Kellogg’s Fiber Plus) or Kashi TLC Trail Mix bar. Nuts (8 Walnuts halves or 10 Almonds or 20 peanuts) with ¼ cup raisins and apricots.

Recipe Ideas:
Try Experimenting with flavoring Popcorn!

Italian Popcorn
2 Cups popped popcorn
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning (McCormick)
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
While popcorn is still warm, put in plastic ziplock bag and sprinkle with seasonings and shake bag. Place popcorn in serving bowl.

Mexican Popcorn
2 cups popped popcorn
1 Tbsp Fajita Seasoning (McCormick)
1/4 tsp red pepper (to taste)
While popcorn is still warm, put in plastic ziplock bag and sprinkle with seasonings and shake bag. Place popcorn in serving bowl. Note- If you like it hotter, add more red pepper.

(c) Copyright D-Signed Nutrition, LLC 7/26/2010