When most people think of the word “snack,” they are usually not thinking about healthy snack foods. Instead, they think about candy bars, salty potato chips, cinnamon buns, and other
sweet or salty foods. Maintaining a diet incorporating healthy snack foods is just as crucial as eating healthy foods for your main meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That piece of
candy may look “sweet” and innocent, but it is probably loaded with double, even triple the value of sugar, fat, carbohydrates, among other not-so-great things, that can foil any dieter’s
good efforts.

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What makes healthy snack foods healthy? 
The rule to follow when buying healthy snack foods is to make sure your choices are high in protein and contain complex carbohydrates. Protein is critical because it is a primary
component of every cell in the human body. The body uses protein to make and mend tissue as well as to reproduce bone, muscle, hair, nail, skin, and blood cells.

Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are the body’s main source of energy, and come in 2 forms – simple and complex. You may have learned that all simple carbohydrates are not good, but this
is not entirely true. The “bad” simple carbohydrates are those found in so-called junk foods like candies, soft drinks, table sugars, milk and white chocolates, etc. The body absorbs
these simple sugars quickly and uses them for a quick boost of energy, but this fast absorption can make the body “crash” after processing the sugars. Plus, the body can begin to crave
excess sugar, all-the-while storing it in fat cells, bringing on weight gain. “Good” simple carbohydrates are found in fresh fruits and, while too much of anything is bad, opt for too
much fruit instead of too much candy. This much is obvious. The reason for this is fresh fruit contains different kinds of sugars that help you avoid the aforementioned “crash”.

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Healthy Snack Food Tip 
Certainly, there is a right way and an incorrect way to snack. In addition to selecting snacks containing high protein and low carbohydrates, making sure to snack regularly in between
meals is vital. It’s a great idea to get in tune with your internal hunger clock; don’t wait until your stomach starts talking to you. If you make your tummy mad, you will most likely
over eat, far past the suggested serving size.

The best way to snack successfully is to change your thinking about it. You should first understand that snacking is not bad, if you do it right, i.e. – no junk foods. If you already feel
this way, think of snacking as a way to float from meal to meal.

Practicing portion control will also make snacking more effective for you. Instead of grabbing an entire bag of nuts from the kitchen cabinet, try measuring out the appropriate serving
size ahead of time. It’s just like packing a lunch for work.

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Healthy Snack Foods You Can Start Eating Today 
Now that we have defined what makes a snack healthy, here are helpful tips to follow while munching. The following is a list of healthy snack foods you can incorporate into your diet
starting today! Most of these foods are probably sitting in your kitchen right now.

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Healthy Thirst QuenchersÂ

• Fat-free milk
• Unsweetened juices
• Low-sodium tomato juice
• Mixed vegetable juice
• Water

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Crunchy Healthy SnacksÂ

• Apple slices
• Whole grain bread sticks
• Unsalted rice cakes
• Baked tortilla chips
• Nuts – 1 ounce or less
• Whole grain cereal

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Hot Healthy SnacksÂ

• Clear, low-sodium soups like chicken noodle
• Homemade soup, be sure to use a low sodium broth

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• Fresh fruit
• Unsweetened canned fruit – Not in syrup
• Baked apple
• Raisins
• Frozen grapes
• Low-fat / fat-free fruit yogurt
• Dark chocolate

Eating healthy snack foods is just one part of a health maintenance strategy that should incorporate eating healthy, a nutritional cleanse, and a physical fitness plan. By combining all of these components
together, you can create and live a long, healthy, happy lifestyle!