It’s about 3 p.m. and you’re scrounging around your desk and the vending machine for a few quick bites to get you through the day. After a well-portioned dinner, you tiptoe back into the kitchen to nibble on a cookie, take a few bites of left over chicken and eventually settle on a few crackers with cheese.
Snacking. It’s a food habit that can either be a friend or a foe. Peggy Spohr, registered dietician at Wishard Health Services says people snack because of boredom, to relieve stress or because they’re hungry and need a quick bite to get them to their next major meal. The best reason to snack, however, is to contribute to your total nutritional intake for the day.
“In general, snacking is not a bad thing. There are no good or bad snacks, but is it needed as part of your nutritional intake?” asks Spohr.
Whether it’s carrot sticks or a Snickers bar, the key to keeping one’s snacks in perspective is making sure other meals and snacks are well balanced.
Some believe eating healthy snacks involves eating boring, tasteless items such as celery sticks and rice cakes. Spohr suggests that those items should not be ruled out simply because they are high on the health list. Those foods and others like an apple, a handful of almonds or jicama (pronounced hic-ca-muh) are great choices because they are low in sodium and calories and provide crunch.
In addition to adding fuel to your body, the trend of snacking smart is about enjoying the tastes and variations of food combinations.
“It’s not just about 100-calorie-portion, control-sized snacks anymore, although that category has continued to expand. Now the focus is heading towards healthier snack blends such as cranberries, dark chocolate covered almonds and vanilla almond mix, as a way to add real fiber, antioxidants and nutritional value to your snacking moment,” said Gail Cunningham, executive chef with The Food Channel.
Snacking may seem to be a habit that happens, however Spohr recommends people eat three well balanced full meals a day with one or two snacks, particularly one that falls in the late evening or before bedtime.
Nutritionists don’t frown upon ‘unhealthy’ snacks, but urge people to think before they eat and to try new tastes and flavors to benefit overall health.
“Gone are the days of popping something in your mouth without first analyzing the nutrition facts panel. Empty calories are a thing of the past, whether at meal time or when snacking,” said Cari Price, executive chef with The Food Channel. “Consumers are becoming more and more educated on nutrition and empty calories without the benefits of fiber, protein, and flavor are just not worth it.”
For more information or other recipes, visit www.foodchannel.com.
Chinese Five Spice Edamame
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon Chinese Five Spice powder
2 pounds frozen edamame, shells on
Preparation
Combine Kosher Salt and Chinese Five spice powder in a small bowl
Place edamame in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and microwave for approximately four minutes, or until edamame peas are tender.
Rest covered for one minute. Remove plastic wrap and toss edamame with Chinese Five Spice mixture.
Serve immediately.
Note: This snack is high in fiber and soy protein that also offers the unique blend of Asian-inspired flavors. A little over 1 cup edamame in the pods (or half-cup serving of shelled edamame) is 120 calories with 9 grams fiber (about the same amount you’ll find in four slices of whole-wheat bread) and contains almost as much protein as carbohydrate. It offers around 10 percent daily value of two key antioxidants, vitamins A and C, as well as high in iron (the amount in a 4 ounce cooked chicken breast).
