Snacks can be an important part of a healthful diet. Well-chosen snacks can help you manage weight, hunger, health, and energy. Eating several small healthy snacks between meals helps with weight loss by keeping cravings down and preventing excessive hunger that may lead to overeating. Snacks can help you meet healthful guidelines for grain, vegetable, fruit, calcium and protein intake. Snacks keep you going when you are dragging - and nutritious snacks keep you going longer.

Snack with variety, balance and moderation in mind. The following tips can make between-meal eating a nutritious, enjoyable part of your eating style!

Match snacks to your calorie needs and weight goals – If your goal is weight maintenance or weight loss, you may want to consume nutrient dense snacks that are between 80-160 calories. If you are a physically active person, however, or a person looking to gain weight, you may need to consume nutrient dense snacks that contain between 180-400 calories.

Watch your snack portions – Snack portions are smaller than meal portions. Snacks shouldn’t “fill you up” but rather help you to be “not hungry.” Although calorie level depends on your activity level and weight goals, snacks should generally not contain more than 500 calories (this would be a meal).

Snack consciously – Eat when you snack, relax when you watch TV, and study when you are studying. Don’t mix snacking with other activities. Snacking absentmindedly while doing other things leads to overeating.

Plan ahead for smart snacking – Keep a variety of tasty, nutritious, ready-to-eat snacks on hand at home, work, or wherever you need a light bite to take the edge off hunger. That way you won’t be limited to snacks from vending machines, fast-food restaurants, or convenience stores.

Refrigerator snacks - Stock your refrigerator with ready-to-go healthy snacks: low-fat dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, milk, chocolate or vanilla flavored soymilk), lean deli meats, ready-to-eat fruit, fresh vegetable sticks, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, or applesauce.

Office snacks - Stash nutritious snacks in your office or workplace: instant soup, pretzels, whole-grain cereal, mini cans of water-packed tuna, boxes of raisins, granola bars, trail mix bars, instant oatmeal, dried fruit or single serve fruit cups, or whole-wheat crackers.

Microwave snacks - Heat single-serving soups. Make hot bean dip with refried beans, salsa, and mild green chilies, and serve with baked tortilla chips. Melt cheddar cheese on a microwaved baked potato or a frozen soft pretzel. Microwave a sweet potato and top with low- fat sour cream.

Sweet snacks - Try these goodies: low fat pudding with vanilla wafers, fig bars, graham crackers or rice cakes with peanut butter, hot chocolate, frozen yogurt, dried fruit, raisin toast, frozen fruit bars, whole fruit sorbet, homemade low-fat bran muffins, whole grain toast with peanut butter and sliced bananas, and sugar-free Jell-O made with fresh fruit.

Traveling snacks - crackers and cheese or peanut butter, string cheese, pretzels, air-popped or light microwave popcorn, fresh fruit, dried fruit, cereal-raisin-nut trail mixes, granola bars, single serve boxed soy milk.

SNACK IDEAS - Calories: 80-180 Carbohydrates: 15-30 grams Bad Fat (saturated/Trans): less than 1.5 grams

• Medium Piece of Fruit Calories: 80-120 Carbs: 20-30 gm Bad Fat:0 gm
• Medium Piece of Fruit + 1 Laughing Cow Lite Cheese Calories: 115-155 Carbs: 20-30 gm Bad Fat: 1 gm
• 8 Mini Rice Cakes + 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter or String Cheese Calories: 140 Carbs: 13 gm Bad Fat: 1-2 gm
• 18 Almonds + ¼ Cup Dried Apricots Calories: 180 Carbs: 20 gm Bad Fat: 0 gm
• “100 Calorie Snack Pack” Check the label….they may differ in the amount of bad fat
• Skinny Cow Ice Cream Bar Calories: 140 Carbs: 27 gm Bad Fat: 0.5 gm
• ½ Peanut Butter Sandwich Calories: 150 Carbs: 15 gm Bad Fat: 1 gm
• 1 Laughing Cow Lite Cheese + 8 Reduced Fat Triscuits Calories: 125 Carbs: 20 gm Bad Fat: 1.5 gm
• Nature Valley Trail Mix Bar Calories: 140 Carbs: 24 gm Bad Fat: 0.5 gm
• Lite Yogurt (6oz) topped with 2 Tbsp. Go Lean Crunch Cereal Calories: 125 Carbs: 23 gm Bad Fat: 0 gm
• Jolly Time Healthy Pop 100 Calorie Mini Bag Calories: 100 Carbs: 14 gm Bad Fat: 0 gm
• Campbell’s Soup on Hand Calories: 120 Carbs: 25 gm Bad Fat: 0 gm
• Cup of Soup like products - read labels and compare calories, fats and sodium
• Mini Bagel + 1 oz Low-Fat Cheese Calories: 160 Carbs: 17 gm Bad Fat: 3 gm
• String Cheese + 5 Reduced Fat Triscuits Calories: 165 Carbs: 13 gm Bad Fat: 1.5gm
• Carrots and Celery with Lite Ranch Dressing Calories: 50 Carbs: 0g m Bad Fat: 0 gm
• Low-Fat Cottage Cheese (½ cup) + ½ cup Mandarin Oranges Calories: 140 Carbs: 18 gm Bad Fat: 1 gm
• ½ Whole Wheat English Muffin with 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter Calories: 160 Carbs: 15 gm Bad Fat: 1 gm

Ice cream originated in China around 2,000 B.C. At its inception, his cold and tasty treat was more like a snow cone; made from fresh mountain snow, flavored with varieties of fruit nectar and sweetened with natural honey. The smooth, rich and creamy dessert we call ice cream was concocted in Europe in the 17th century and appeared in the United States in the early 18th century.

Ice cream is usually a milk-based dessert made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, combined with fruits or other ingredients and multitude of flavors. Most ice cream varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other types of sweeteners. In today’s world of ice cream there are many flavors to choose from and many ways to consume it. Ice cream can be scooped into a dish, onto a cone, dropped into soda, or mixed with milk to create a creamy milk shake.

In its infancy, ice cream was considered a special treat reserved for those of wealth, whereas today, a bowl of ice cream is something many of us enjoy daily. Is there anything wrong with consuming ice cream daily? It depends.

Have you ever taken the time to look at the nutrition label for ice cream? Most of us would be surprised to learn that the appropriate “serving size” is a ½ cup! Let’s put that into perspective: a ½ cup is the size of two golf balls, or about the size of a small scoop from your local ice cream store.

The next item on the label will depend on whether you’re purchasing premium, light or fat-free ice cream. Ice cream calories can range from 90 to 300, with saturated fat content ranging from 0 grams to 10 grams, which is equal to more than half your recommended daily portion. So, depending on the type of ice cream you choose and the amount you consume, you could make this treat work into a healthy food plan; it’s your choice.

My recommendation on eating ice cream comes down to how often do you want to enjoy it. If often, you may want to focus on portion control and ice-cream type, such as light.

If it’s an occasional, special treat, choose your favorite but consider an appropriate serving size. If find it difficult to maintain a healthy serving size at home, decide to take the easy route by visiting an ice cream shop where you can use your will power to order a small portion.

Enjoy!