Ten Tips to Snack Smarter (and Healthier)

Snacking is a great way to keep your energy levels up between meals, stabilize your blood sugar, and make sure you’re getting all the nutrients and variety of foods your body needs. However, snacking on the wrong foods can derail dietary plans, lead to over-consumption of fats, sugars, or Calories, and interfere with adequately fueling your body. The following tips will help you make smarter snacking decisions so you can get the most fuel and nutrition out of your snacks.

1. Think of your snacks as miniature meals. Remember that snacks “count” when you’re thinking about your daily Calorie and nutrient intake. Put as much effort into making healthy choices for your snacks as you (should) do for your meals.

2. Choose snacks that include at least 2 food groups. MyPlate, created by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, can help you understand the different food groups and how much you need each day.

3. Read the nutrition label (or look up nutrition facts for fresh fruits and veggies) to help you select snacks. Make sure your snacks do not have added fat, added (or high) sugar, or high Calories (chips, candy, and cookies might be culprits of this!).

4. Select snack foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Again, reading the nutrition label will help you.

5. Determine the portion size of your snack before you start eating. If your snack comes in a multiple-serving package (like a bag of grapes, bag of nuts, or value size of yogurt), put your snack in a small container like a bowl, sandwich bag, or small plastic food storage container. Eating directly out of a multiple-serving package often leads to overeating, which can lead to meal disruption, gastric upset, and weight gain. To make certain your portion sizes are consistent from day to day, try using measuring spoons and cups to prepare your snacks.

6. Only snack when you’re hungry. Don’t eat a snack simply because it’s “snack time,” you’re bored, you’re stressed, or because everyone else is eating something.  If you struggle with the urge to eat even though you’re not hungry, try moving around and doing something like taking a walk, doing chores, or working on a household project.

7. Have snacking be the only thing you’re doing at that time. If you snack while you’re doing something else – watching TV, talking on the phone, driving, surfing the internet – you are snacking mindlessly. This leads to eating when you’re not hungry and, if you don’t follow tip #5, overeating.

8. If you’re going to be away from home (at work, rehearsals, performances, workouts), take food with you. Take snacks – or even meals, if you need to – with you in a bag or soft-sided cooler. Be sure to use ice or an ice pack to keep your refrigerated food (like yogurt, meat, or cheese) at a safe temperature. You can try taking a smoothie in an insulated travel mug or thermos. Taking nutritious food with you saves you money and can be more nutritious and better-portioned than buying food while you’re away from home.

9. Plan your snacks before you go to the grocery store. This will help make sure you have a variety of nutritious snacks on hand, so you don’t end up resorting to less-healthy snacks later in the week.

10. If you want or need ready-to-eat snacks, choose fresh, whole foods as often as possible. Sometimes, you simply don’t have the time (or the tolerance) for preparing snacks for the day. It happens. However, times like these are times that you’re most vulnerable to making a bad food choice by taking the easier route (which often leads to foods that are higher in Calories, fats, or sugars). At times like these, it’s still important to make healthy food choices to give your body the fuel and nutrition it needs. One way to avoid falling into the trap of picking a bag of Funyuns over a hard-boiled egg is to have healthy ready-to-eat snacks on hand. When you’re planning these types of snacks, avoid packaged snacks (like pre-made cracker-and-peanut-butter sandwiches, or “single-serving” pasta dishes), as these tend to be very high in sodium and preservatives. Instead, opt for snacks with higher nutrient density in the form of fresh fruit and veggies, cheese sticks, single-serving yogurt cups, or whole-grain products (pitas, bread, crackers). You may still have to do some very basic food preparation or portioning with these fresh foods, but it won’t be as time-intensive as making a mini-pizza, cooking oatmeal, or blending a smoothie.