Good Snack Food vs. Bad Snack Food

Every good diet has one stumbling block in common:  snack food.  Snack food will cause even the most well intentioned of healthy eaters to ruin an otherwise fantastic healthy diet.  While most people turn to sweet or salty snacks that are full of fat and have little or no nutritional value for snack food, there are healthy alternatives that will allow you to give into the impulse to snack without ruining your diet plan.

Identifying the Bad Snacks

The most common snack foods are potato chips, cakes, cookies, candy bars, and ice cream.  While these are all tasty items, they are not healthy for you.  Indulging in them perhaps once a week is all right, however, eating one or all of these items or others of their type everyday will put a damper on even the best laid dieting plans.  These foods are all high in fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, and refined sugar, all of the things that a good dieter should be avoiding.  Rather than eating unhealthy snacks, try substituting healthier, lower calorie snacks that will do you and your diet some good instead of being detrimental to your goals.

Trading the Bad for Good Snacks

Healthy snacks include fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, and low calorie yogurt or pudding snacks.  Having a small amount of natural sugar in your diet, such as the kind found in apples, grapes, and oranges, is good for your diet, however these items should not be eaten in excess.  A low carbohydrate, lower sugar option is to eat strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.  Berries have a lower amount of natural sugar, very few carbohydrates, and they are high in necessary vitamins and minerals, making them a fantastic snack.  Raw nuts are also a great snack when eaten in moderation.  All nuts are high in fat, which does not make them the ideal snack food, however they are high in protein which is essential to the success of any diet.  Vegetables such as carrots, celery, broccoli, and grape tomatoes are all good snacking options.  They are all high in nutritional value and are extremely healthy as long as you resist the urge to top them with high calorie salad dressings and dips.  These items are better consumed raw without any additional toppings or condiments in order to maintain their nutritional value.  

Good Alternatives for those with a Sweet Tooth

For anyone who has a sweet tooth or even a craving for chocolate, low calorie yogurt and puddings are a great alternative to candy and ice cream.  These items come in a wide variety of flavors and in addition to tasting great also provide necessary calcium and bacterial cultures to your diet.  They cost less than most of your unhealthy snack food and allow you to keep your diet on track while allowing you to still indulge in the flavors that you crave.  

A little common sense and a lot of attention to what you eat will go a very long way to helping you maintain your diet goals.  Remain focused on your goals and be mindful of what you consume in order to ensure success with your diet plan.