SNACKS

Snacks are part of a healthy diet. For many people, two to three hours after breakfast, sugar levels change, a snack on time will stabilize insulin levels. Snacks will keep your appetite under control and your energy level high during the day. Plan your day to include three meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you can include two to four snacks, depending on your life style and level of activity.

Almost for sure, you'll need one mid morning and one mid afternoon snack. You will probably welcome a second snack in the afternoon, depending on how late your dinner will be, or in the morning, especially if you have a late lunch. Have your first snack two hours after breakfast, certainly, don’t wait more than three hours.

HEALTHY SNACKS

• Cheese and crackers.
• A small sandwich, just one slice of bread, made whit whole grain bread and deli meat, or the traditional peanut butter and jelly.
• Half a cup of tortilla chips with 1/3 cup of bean dip or guacamole
• Cereal and milk – try to make it whole grain cereal and partly skimmed milk, more fiber, less fat.
• Small can of tuna with bread or crackers - feel free with lettuce ant tomato, careful with the mayonnaise.
• Yogurt with applesauce or fruit spread.
• Half a cup of home made trail mix: ¼ roasted nuts, ¼ sunflower seeds ½ and raisins, for instance.
• Raw vegetables with hummus, peanut butter, baba ganoush, guacamole or low fat cheese -baba ganoush is a dip made from roasted eggplant, with garlic and lemon juice.
• Chocolate, an ounce, with nuts and raisins or whole grain bread.
• Skim milk and one or two cookies, bran muffins, slice of fruitcake, or flapjacks, all that is great home made, no trans fat.
• Cheese, try fresh cheese, or yogurt with fruit: banana, 12 grapes, 10 strawberries, one small apple.
• Milk shake or fruit smoothie made with reduced fat milk or low fat yogurt, frozen fruit, two teaspoons of sugar and two or three drops of vanilla extract.
• Baked beans on toast.

Almost everything can become a snack. A piece of fruit can be considered the perfect ready made snack, and the recommendation is to have fruit apart from the meals; having said that, we prefer to include always a little protein. Sorry, not always, just most of the times. For instance, a banana half an hour before exercise can help to perform better and prevent cramps, because digestion takes about twenty minutes, giving you a sugar boost at the right time, and it is rich in potassium. Adding protein would slow down the digestion process; it would give you a steady level of sugar for a longer period, but no boost.

NO SNACKS

A few people feel better just having three bigger meals, no snacks in between. Maybe snacks are a temptation for them or they cannot help overeating. No snacks, that is fine. If you are getting all the nutrients you need and you do not feel sluggish between meals.

There is no set number of meals. The pattern to follow depends on activity, lifestyle, and general health. It is meant to be flexible.