Snacking has generally gotten a bad rap because most people associate it with chowing down the typical “snack foods” – soda, candy, chips and other kinds of junk food. But snacking on the right kinds of foods can actually be a great way to meet your nutrition needs for the day, and even help you control your weight.

Research shows that planning to eat a healthy snack or two throughout the day can help keep your hunger under control and cut back on overeating at meals. Unfortunately, research shows that many teens aren’t making healthy snack choices. Surveys show that soda and other sugary drinks are teen’s #1 snack choice, with fatty snacks also kicking in major league calories throughout the day. But studies also show that snacking on the right foods can contribute anywhere from 12 to 39 percent of the recommended servings from the five MyPyramid food groups. Whether snacking is doing your body good – or fattening you up – clearly depends on what you’re snacking on, and how much.

Snack Low Down

We all know that most typical snack foods are loaded with sugar, fat and salt, but let’s take a look at exactly what kind of damage snacks could be doing to your diet. Nutrition information includes the “equivalent” amount of table sugar and butter found in a serving of each:

• Soda, 20 oz. – 220 calories/60 grams sugar (15 teaspoons table sugar)
• Chocolate bar, 1.5 oz – 223 calories/23 grams sugar (6 teaspoons table sugar)
• Doritos, single serving bag – 250 calories/13 grams fat (3 teaspoons butter)
• Oreos, 6 cookies – 320 calories/28 grams sugar (7 teaspoons table sugar)/14 grams fat (3 teaspoons butter)
• Starburst chews, 1 package – 234 calories/39 grams sugar (10 teaspoons table sugar)

As you can see, a serving of each delivers 200 calories or more of straight sugar and fat, with no vitamins, minerals, fiber or anything else good – in other words, “empty calories” that if consumed on a regular basis will likely do nothing but make you fat and unhealthy. Also, larger, more economically sized packages might help you save money, but are a larger portion size, and thus, more calories and sugar.

Naturally Speaking:

Just because a snack is labeled “natural” or “pure” doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Check out the article Know Your Labels for more information.

Make Snacks Count

So what could you be eating between meals that can do your body good? Any of the following snacks will help fill you up while adding grains, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and protein foods to your diet. Some clearly need to be eaten at home, but others could be packed up and taken on the road.

• Low-fat or non-fat yogurt (stir in some dry cereal or nuts for added nutrition)
• Yogurt and cut-up or canned (in water or juice) fruit
• Wheat crackers with peanut butter or cheese
• Cheese stick and fruit
• Handful of nuts and fruit
• Ham or turkey rolled up in a small tortilla
• Hummus and carrots or other veggie sticks
• Hummus in a small whole wheat pita
• Half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Granola bar
• Low-fat popcorn
• Apple or banana with peanut butter
• Cereal with 1 percent milk
• Home trail mix of dry cereal, nuts and dried cranberries or raisins
• Energy bar
• Pretzels with shredded mozzarella cheese melted over it
• Baked tortilla chips and salsa
• Whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter
• Bean burrito

Vending Machine

What if all is around is a vending machine? While vending machines are loaded with junk food, if you look hard enough you can usually find one or two decent choices. Look for one of the following – or something like it – in a pinch:

• Granola bar
• Cheese or peanut butter crackers
• Dried fruit
• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Animal crackers
• Water
• Diet soda
• Crystal Light or some other sugar-free fruit flavored drink or iced tea

None of this means you can never have soda, candy or chips. You just want to take a hard look at what kinds of choices you’re making most of the time, and make your favorite junk food the occasional treat.

This article was reviewed by BodiMojo expert Deborah Rohm Young, Ph.D.