Healthy Snacks: Healthy Eating A Guide To The New Nutrition
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Healthy snacks
For many people, the words "snack" and "healthy" don't belong in the same sentence. It's so easy to reach for the chips or candy bars that you might not realize that snacking and eating healthfully need not be mutually exclusive. There are plenty of healthy snacks that are quick and easy to eat, such as nuts or fruits. Even so, if you choose to snack between meals, don't overdo it. Eating more calories than you burn each day will cause you to gain weight, and excess weight is a major risk factor for several life-threatening diseases.
To start snacking well, first survey what's available. Some snacks are obviously bad for you. Chips and cheese twists are laden with saturated fat, trans fat, and salt. Most cookies, snack bars, brownies, and muffins, if they are commercially prepared, are also laden with bad fats. Candy is mainly sugar and bad fats. But what about all those fat-free vegetable chips, snack cakes, yogurt raisins, and candies sold in health-food stores — are they harmful?
The answer, surprisingly, is that they can be. Even if they're fat-free, chips and sweet snacks typically have a high glycemic load. An occasional snack of them isn't going to hurt you, but eating them regularly can do what all meals with a high glycemic load do: fail to keep you feeling sated for very long. So you run the risk of overeating, gaining weight, and possibly developing insulin resistance down the road. The same is true if you snack regularly on crackers and pretzels, normally made from refined flours.
What should you eat instead? As a start, try keeping some fruits in your desk drawer or on your kitchen countertop, where you'll see them before reaching for the chips or cookies. Bring a banana to work. Keep a bowl of grapes or cherries on the table. Dried fruit is also an excellent choice, and both fresh and dried fruits contain plenty of vitamins and fiber (see Table 4).
Table 4: Simple switches for healthy eating | |
| Here are some tips for painlessly improving the quality of your diet | |
| Instead of: | Try: |
| Food preparation | |
| Butter, solid margarine, or lard | Olive oil, canola oil, or margarine without trans fats |
| Cream-based sauces | Tomato-based sauces |
| Whole eggs | Egg whites or egg substitute |
| Salt for seasoning | Herbs and spices |
| Canned vegetables | Fresh or frozen vegetables |
| Meals | |
| Cornflakes, Special K, or other refined-grain cereal | Cheerios, Wheaties, or other whole-grain cereal |
| Cream of Wheat | Oatmeal or Kashi |
| White rice | Brown rice or other cooked whole grain |
| White pasta | Whole-wheat pasta |
| White bread | Whole-grain bread |
| Full-fat dairy foods | Skim or low-fat dairy foods |
| Red meat | Fish, chicken, beans, nuts |
| Fatty cuts of meat, such as prime rib | Leaner cuts, such as tenderloin (occasionally) |
| Smoked, cured, salted, or canned meat or fish | Fresh or frozen meat or fish, without added salt |
| Sugared soda or juice | Water, or juice mixed with sparkling water |
| Ice cream | Yogurt with fruit |
| Fries or onion rings | Roasted vegetables |
| Snacks | |
| Candy | Fresh or dried fruit |
| Chips | Nuts, raisins, popcorn without butter (try olive or canola oil), raw vegetables |
| Soda crackers | Whole-grain crackers without trans fats |
| Dips high in saturated fats | Hummus, peanut butter, or seasoned low-fat yogurt |
| Baked goods containing butter or trans fats | Low-fat baked goods |
| Cookies | Graham crackers or oatmeal cookies with fruit |
| Dining out | |
| Super-size entrées | Small- or medium-size entrées |
| Fried foods | Grilled, broiled, steamed, poached, or roasted foods |
| General tips | |
| Skipping breakfast | Eating oatmeal, whole-grain breads, or bran cereals |
| Rushing through a meal | Eating slowly |
| Eating one or two big meals a day | Eating several smaller meals |
| Sitting on the couch after dinner | Taking a walk |
| Adapted from Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating by Walter Willett, M.D., published by Simon & Schuster and Harvard Medical School (www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition). | |
Next, try nuts. Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, filberts, and other nuts are good for you for several reasons. They contain many beneficial nutrients and other substances, including vitamin E, folic acid, potassium, and fiber. And although some are high in fat, the fat is mainly unsaturated. Finally, unlike chips and other omnipresent high-carbohydrate snacks, nuts don't leave you hungry right away, so you're less likely to overeat.
One note of caution: Nuts do have a lot of calories. So eat them instead of other snacks, not in addition to them. The Healthy Eating Pyramid recommends one to three servings of nuts and legumes a day in meals and snacks combined.
| Last updated: | January 23, 2007 |
|---|
Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. By using AOL Body, you indicate that you have read, understood, and agreed to our Terms of Service, Use of Content Agreement and AOL Body Advertising Policy. Read more about our content partners.
Search
Where Does it Hurt?
If you're experiencing aches and pains we can help you find answers. Find out what your symptoms mean for your health.
