Should I fight a snack attack?
You gobbled your cereal at breakfast and felt full when you went to school. But now, after working on your art project, running around in gym class and reading out loud, you're ready to eat again. That's because your body has used up the energy from your cereal. It's time for a snack!
What should you eat? Some great choices include fruit, nuts, yogurt, cut-up veggies, popcorn, peanut butter crackers, cheese or a piece of whole-grain bread. Eat something you like, but try to avoid high-sugar, high-fat treats that won't keep you satisfied very long.
The facts on healthy snacks
Do you think snacking means crunching chips, munching marshmallows, or chowing down on cookies? Lots of people think snacks mean foods that aren't nutritious. But snacks can be healthy, too. And healthy snacks are more likely to give you the energy and the nutrients you need.
An orange will give you quick energy now and vitamin C for later. A pile of potato chips, on the other hand, contains lots of calories and fat, something that most kids don't need a lot of. Some foods, such as wholegrain foods, also will help you feel more full for longer. So a wholegrain muffin will stick with you longer than a candy bar. It's also easy to overeat candy or chips and they contain a lot of calories.
That's not to say you can't have a candy bar or chips once in a while, if you like them. But try to make your regular snacks more nutritious. If you're feeling mildly hungry, maybe a piece of fruit will do the trick. But if you're feeling hungry at snack time, try a pita stuffed with veggies, cereal with milk, oatmeal or an English muffin pizza.
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