• Topics: Family Youth and Community Sciences | Feeding Babies and Young Children | MyPyramid for Children | Meal Planning and Shopping | Snacks | Family Nutrition Program (FNP) | Penuela, Claudia L | Valentin-Oquendo, Isabel

Choosing Healthy Snacks Using MyPyramid¹

What is a snack? A snack is any food that is eaten between meals. Now, what is a smart snack? A smart snack includes healthy choices from the food groups in MyPyramid. So, if your meals come up short on any food group, choose foods from that food group for your snacks. Try fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and lean meats or whole grains products.

Avoid snacks high in fat, sugar and salt. These include candy bars, doughnuts, fries, hamburgers, and regular soda.

Snacking Myths

MYTH: Snacks cause weight gain.

FACT: No! You gain weight when you consume more calories, no matter what you eat, than you burn during the day.

MYTH: Snacks ruin appetites.

FACT: No! Eating a snack 1–2 hours before a meal helps adults satisfy hunger and eat a smaller meal. Snacks help children and adolescents get the extra nutrients they need.

MYTH: Snacks cause cavities.

FACT: No! You get cavities when you eat sugary and starchy snacks throughout the day. In contrast, snacks that include milk or cheese help prevent tooth decay, while fruits and vegetables keep teeth and gums healthy.

Who Should Snack?

Everyone should snack: children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Many children do not get enough calories from three meals a day; older adults often do not eat enough calories and need snacks to meet their needs. Adding in snacks between meals helps provide calories and nutrients.

Eating healthy snacks gives you the fuel you need to keep going!

Planning is KEY to Successful Snacking!

• Make sure to keep ready-to-eat portions of crackers, canned fruit, yogurt, and tuna packed in water.

• Wash fresh produce and keep ready-to-eat portions in bags in the refrigerator. Keep low-fat yogurt or dip to grab and go.

• Prepare your own granola or trail mix. Combine 1 cup whole-grain oat cereal with ¼ cup of chopped nuts such as walnuts, and ¼ cup dried fruit such as cranberries for a healthy trail mix.

• Make your snacks interesting, fun and creative. Variety is the key!

• Keep healthy, tasty, and easy to carry snacks in your backpack or purse nearby.

Read the Food Label

Make sure that you choose 100% fruit juice. Although 100% juice is considered a food from the fruit group, it is important to drink juice in moderation because it is high in calories and may contribute to weight gain. Instead, choose the whole fruit, which contains more beneficial nutrients such as fiber.

Watch "low-fat" foods. Sometimes these foods have the same calories that regular foods have because the fat eliminated has been replaced with sugar to keep the flavor. Also, look at labels for different kinds of "granola bars." Some can contain a lot of trans fat and sugar.

Finally, consider the "serving size." Some small packages contain two or more servings, which means double or even triple the amounts of fat, calories, and sugar shown on the label.

Which Food Group was missing from any of Your meals?

Choose foods from that group as a part of your daily snacks! Look at snacks that are nutritious from each food group.

Fruit Group: apple*, banana, orange, grapes*, and dried fruit (raisins*). Ideas: Peel a ripe banana and dip it in yogurt, roll it in granola, and then freeze it in a plastic bag. Also, bananas are ideal for smoothies. Blend with just half a cup of yogurt and half a cup of fruit juice. Prepare popsicles with unsweetened 100% juice.

Vegetables Group: celery*, baby carrots*, broccoli*, cauliflower, cucumber, yellow pepper, or zucchini*. Ideas: Stuff celery sticks with peanut butter and top with raisins, or serve your favorite vegetable with low-fat dressing or plain yogurt, which boosts the amount of vitamins and minerals.

Milk Group: low-fat cheese, milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Ideas: Make a cheese sandwich or quesadilla, or try a low-fat fruit yogurt (High in calcium). Any bread works as the dough of a pizza. Top it with low-fat mozzarella cheese and your favorite veggies, and toast or bake at a low setting until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy.

Grains Group: popcorn*, rice cakes, whole grain bars, bread, bagel, cereal, crackers, pita, tortilla, and pretzels. Ideas: Combine any of these with salty or sweet foods. You could also try graham crackers topped with peanut butter and fruit preserve, or small triangles of pita dipped in a low-fat hummus.

Meat and Beans Group: peanut butter*, nuts*, pumpkin seeds*, bean dip and cooked eggs. Ideas: Try spreading peanut butter* on any whole grain bread. A handful of walnuts* makes great "brain food" because it gives a boost of protein and zinc.

These food can cause choking in children under 5 years of age

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.

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