Smart Snacking

A snack should be just enough to control your hunger without making you feel too full Smart snack choices can include fruit, protein, vegetables, nuts, or even beverages that are light on the sugar.

By Alison Crane

Snacking plays an important role in most people’s diets and can deliver a significant part of our calories each day. For young children, snacking is a vital part for providing the energy young bodies need for growth and development. However, with all the convenient and eye appealing snacks along the grocery store aisles, sometimes making good choices can be difficult.

Making smart snack choices starts with understanding the purpose of snacking. A snack should be just enough to control your hunger without making you feel too full. Keep your snacks to about 200 calories and choose from the major food groups. Also, keep in mind that beverages count as well as food; consider whether your beverage is empty calories or has some nutritional value.

Whether you are choosing a snack for yourself or your child, here are five simple suggestions from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service for how to be a smart snack-er.

1. Make healthy snack choices the easy choice. Keep snacks from the major food groups on hand.
2. Let snacks fill in the gaps. If you or your child does not eat fruit at breakfast, offer fruit at snack time.
3. Time snacks carefully. Snacks should be offered one to two hours before meals, so your child will be hungry for lunch or dinner. For yourself, a snack at the right time can prevent you from being so hungry that you overeat at mealtime.
4. Keep snacks small. If your child is still hungry, he or she can ask for more. Young children have an instinctive sense of what is the right amount of food. As an adult, keep your snack small and try to savor each bite, allowing your stomach to communicate satiety to your brain.
5. Go easy on sugary drinks. Offer fat-free or low-fat milk, 100% fruit juices or water as snack drinks. You can also make a smoothie for a snack/drink combo. Sugar sweetened drinks can crowd out the nutritious foods that children and grownups need to be healthy. 

You can visit the Extension webpage for more ways to be a smart snack-er or contact the Garland County Extension Service for nutrition programs and classes available locally. The Extension office is located at 236 Woodbine St, Hot Springs, AR 71901, or call 501-623-6841.

Alison Crane is a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent with the Garland County Extension Service. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.