3 S’s: Sodas, Snacks, and Sugar
Sodas and sugar are two things that do not need to be a part of your child’s diet. When it comes to nutrition and snacking, you can snack happy. It’s easy to pick up some bad habits, but there are ways to snack that aren’t bad for you.Snacking doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but you do need to know how to snack healthy. Eating healthy snacks throughout the day can be very beneficial. It can help you from overeating at mealtime, increase your energy level throughout the day, and keep you alert, not to mention control hunger pangs.
The best way to ensure that your snacks are healthy choices is to plan ahead so when the “snack attack” hits you won’t reach for sugar, potato chips or cookies. The following list details some smart snack choices:
| Freebies (No Calories) |
|
| Refreshing water: bottled, flavored, sugar-free, club soda, carbonated | |
| Sugar-free sodas and lemonade | |
| Crystal Light | |
| Flavored teas | |
| Sugar-free gelatin | |
| Cucumbers | |
| Lettuce | |
| Raw vegetables | |
| 60 Calories or Fewer (no fat)* | |
| 1 small apple | 60 calories |
| 1 cup cooked non-starchy vegetables | 50 calories |
| 2 cups raw non-starchy vegetables | 50 calories |
| ½ banana | 60 calories |
| ¼ cantaloupe or ½ grapefruit | 60 calories |
| 1 cup strawberries or 10 cherries | 60 calories |
| 1 slice, ¾ oz. fat-free cheese | 40 calories |
| ½ oz (2 tbsp) regular cheese | 50 calories |
| 1 oz fat-free mozzarella (string cheese) | 50 calories |
| ½ cup orange juice | 60 calories |
| ½ cup tomato or V-8 juice | 35 calories |
| 1 small green salad w/1 tbsp fat-free dressing | 25 calories |
| 1 small tomato | 25 calories |
| 1 rice cake | 35 calories |
| 12 teddy grahams | 60 calories |
| 1 cup egg-drop soup | 30 calories |
| 1 bread stick (3 ½ in.) | 40 calories |
| 100 Calories or Fewer |
|
| ½ cup nonfat cottage cheese | 80 calories |
| 1 cup fat-free plain or unsweetened yogurt | 100 calories |
| 1 cup Cheerios | 90 calories |
| 3 cups unbuttered popcorn/microwave light | 75 calories |
| 25 Air Crisp crackers | 80 calories |
| 1 small new potato | 100 calories |
| 1 snack-pack pudding | 100 calories |
| 1 popsicle, twin pop, frozen fruit bar | 70 calories |
| ½ cup fat-free frozen yogurt | 100 calories |
| 1 fudgesicle or fat-free frozen chocolate bar | 70 calories |
| 1- ½ oz. box raisins | 100 calories |
| 3 graham crackers (2 in. square each) | 80 calories |
| 1 cup Cheerios | 90 calories |
| 38 pretzel sticks (3 ½ in. long) | 80 calories |
| 1 mini-bagel | 75 calories |