Healthy Snack Ideas

I've been trying trying to revamp some of my eating habits. I maybe a dietetics graduate, but between class, wedding/newlywed and internship obligations I've gotten lazy with my diet. Here are some of my new and improved healthy snack ideas: 

• Crasins (1/3 cup is about 130 kcals if I remember correctly, but oh so worth it)
• Pistachios (a low fat nut which makes it a better option that most other nuts and the shell makes you work for it) 
• Slice whole wheat bread with butter or homemade jam (helps increase dietary fiber) 
• Watermelon (low calorie and great taste) 
• Banana with peanut butter (watch for added sugars and oils which add calories to peanut butter) 
• Apple (sprinkle with cinnamon to spice it up) 
• Low-fat yogurt with fruit (watch out for fat and sugar in yogurt, they taste great but adds lots of calories) 
• Salad (I recently used guacamole as dressing, which I really loved) 
• Celery, peanut butter and crasins (can you tell crasins are my favorite food?)
• Avocado and whole wheat toast 
• Chips and salsa (add black beans for protein) 
• Small bowl oatmeal with apples and crasins :) (another great way to get fiber!) 
• Zucchini pancakes (I haven't done this in a long time, but it was a favorite as a kid) 
• Baked sweet potato fries (season salty, with herbs, pepper, cinnamon, garlic, the list is endless, and they're so easy to make!)
• Home dried fruit leather (we just got a dryer thanks my mother-in-law!) 
• Cold cereal (watch for lots of sugar, but high fiber cereal is a great snack) 
• Cucumbers in oil/vinegar mix with salt and pepper 
• Air popped pop corn (try seasoning with herbs for low salt option)  
• Whole wheat muffins (I like apple cinnamon muffins or mango muffins best) 
• Cucumber sandwich (use low fat cream cheese herb spread with cucumber slices on bread) 
• Broiled apple cheese sandwich 

*Note from a dietitian* 

Something interesting I learned at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo this fall was it is a good idea to have fruits/vegetables, carbohydrates, and some type of fat/protein in a snack. Here is why: 

• If you eat all fruits or vegetables it often aren't as satisfying by themselves (think plain broccoli), so at the end of your snack you will probably not be full and crave something else. 
• If you eat carbohydrates, like crackers, chips, and bread you will eat a lot more to get full, therefore you will eat more calories if your snack is just carbohydrates. 
• If you eat just fat and protein like lunchmeat, cheese, or nuts you will get a lot more calories in a very small serving size. Fat have 9 calories per gram versus carbohydrates which have 4 calories per gram.
• If you eat a combination of fruits/vegetables, carbohydrates, and fats/proteins in your snack you will actually be the most satisfied and full with less calories. In other words, your snack will fill you up, satisfy your cravings, and be a lower calorie option than eating just carbohydrates or or fat/protein. An example is the broiled apple cheese open faced sandwich. 

Some snack ideas that should be used sparingly are: 

• Smoothies (have a lot of calories and usually aren't very filling) 
• Crackers (often high fat I've found) 
• Granola and granola bars (lots of fat and sugar) 
• Juice (lots of calories, often has lots of sugar, and no filling fiber found in regular fruit) 
• Dried fruit (has more calories per ounce than regular fruit and added sugar) 
• Nuts/trail mix (usually have lots of fat, even though it is the good type it does add calories) 
• Fruit snacks (lets be honest, its gelatin and flavoring, not fruit) 
• Jello (if you do snack on jello have the 0 calorie or low calorie type) 

One thing to remember about snacks is it is a good idea to schedule them. Eating regularly scheduled, sit down meals, including snacks, helps you regulate your intake because you don't get over hungry. Schedule a snack, and if you aren't hungry, don't eat it, but if you are you have something planned and on hand.