We all love to have snacks, but when you snack too often and on the wrong foods it’s not good for our health or our weight. Here are some tips!

1.  Plan your snacks and only have one or 2 a day.
2.  Sit down when you eat anything.
3.  Put your snack on a plate, or bowl. When you eat out of a box we often eat too much.
4.  Only have one serving. Sometimes we get seconds even when we are not hungry. 
5.  Eat good snacks, not ones high in fat or sugar.
6.  Drink more water and low calorie drinks. Avoid soft drinks.
7.  Don’t eat a snack when you are not hungry.
8.  Exercise daily and it maybe good to exercise right after school when you are tempted to over snack. 
9.  Don’t eat after dinner time.  And try not to eat in front of TV.
10. Play a fun game, read a book, or exercise when you are bored.

Good snacks: Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, pears, pretzels, bagel, ginger snaps or vanilla wafers, saltine crackers, carrot sticks, celery sticks, (use low fat dressing), rice cakes, fruit pops, yogurt, frozen yogurt, applesauce, air popped pop corn, tomato soup. My kids and I both love to freeze grapes and eat them right from freezer.

Snacks high in fat and calories: Most cookies (even low fat have a lot of calories), potato chips, dips, nuts, peanut butter, candy, chocolate, pies, brownies, soft drinks (if you have one, drink low calorie), pizza.

You can eat your favorite dessert now and then, but not a lot and not every day or every snack.

Be active, walk to your friends, join a soccer team, walk at your neighborhood park with your family.  Don’t watch television more than one hour a day, and be careful to not overuse the computer. If you don’t exercise, and eat high fat snacks, your body will end up with too much fat which is bad for your heart and health.

Have fun and stay healthy! 
Missy Kane