Grocery stores introduced potato chips in 1895, according to the Snack Food Association, and snacking has become a way of life ever since. Cookies, cakes, chips, wedges and anything deep fried are now mainstays in the diet. Choosing the right snack may be the difference between a healthy diet and an unhealthy one.
Vegetables
A healthy diet includes several helpings of fruits and vegetables each day. A tray of carrot and celery sticks, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and radishes, accompanied by a low-fat dip, makes a great snack that's low in fat and calories. Vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber, which adds volume to food, leaving you feeling more satisfied after your snack. Nutritious vegetables are crunchy and full of flavor, as well as vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly.
Fruits
Keep a bowl of fruit where everyone can reach it. Fill the bowl with bananas, oranges, grapes, cherries and strawberries. Fruit is a sweet way to get your daily requirements of vitamin C and potassium. Only about 25 percent of Americans get enough fruits and vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Avoid the temptation to top fruit with unhealthy sugar or cream.
Home-Cooked
Snacks baked at home may be healthier than commercially available treats, provided the snacks are prepared with healthy ingredients. For example, you can substitute some fat with applesauce while baking. You can use herbs and spices on salty treats to reduce your consumption of sodium. Don't deep fry snacks.
Cakes and Cookies
Snacks containing high amounts of fat, saturated fat and trans fats are unhealthy. Your body converts fat into cholesterol, and excess cholesterol builds up in the bloodstream and accumulates inside the walls of blood vessels. This accumulation can lead to heart disease. As one example of a high-fat snack, Nabisco Double Stuffed Oreos contain 140 calories per serving, with 11 percent of your recommended total fat intake for the entire day, according to the manufacturer's website. The food industry uses trans fats in commercially baked products to extend shelf life and give snacks a creamier texture.
Beverages
Sugary drinks are not nutritious and are packed with fat, cholesterol and calories. Sugar, toppings and flavorings transform regular coffee, which has just a few calories per serving, into an unhealthy fast food. A 16-oz. Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream, for example, weighs in at 470 calories and 18 g of fat. Ice cream shakes, already high in fat and calories, have become super-sized to the point of exceeding the recommended daily amounts of calories and fat. For example, according to the Baskin Robbins website, its large Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough shake contains 1,690 calories and 72 grams of fat, more than a sedentary woman should consume all day. A person who consumes these drinks frequently will gain weight and possibly suffer high cholesterol. Obesity or high cholesterol levels can lead to a wide variety of illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease.
References
- Snack Food Association: The Potato Chip is 150 This Year!
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity for a Healthier Nation
- NabiscoWorld: Oreo Sandwich Cookies Double Stuf Double Stuf
- Baskin Robbins: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Shake- Large
- Starbucks: Explore Our Menu
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