Snacks are as dialed into our daily meals as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yet, these between-meal repasts, which all too often are nutritionally inadequate, may thwart an otherwise healthy diet.
As tempting as it is to grab a 100-calorie pack of chips, cookies, or other deceitfully “healthy” convenience item, they provide energy in calories, but often little else in terms of nutritional value. Counting calories without attention to the nutrients in foods leaves many people. deficient in necessary vitamins, minerals, fiber, and daily fruit and vegetable intake.
A shift in focus to nutrient-rich foods will get your snacking back on track and reward you with valuable nutrients from whole foods that are as delicious and satisfying as they are nutritious.
Check out some of our favorite, natural 100-calories snacks, easily portable for work, school, or road trips:
Almonds (17). Calories: 102. Protein: 4 grams. Fat: 9 grams. Sodium: 0
Artichoke Hearts (8 with 2 tbsp. reduced fat mayonnaise). Calories: 98. Protein: 4 grams. Fat: 10 grams. Sodium: 412 mg.
Avocado (mashed ¼ cup with sliced red pepper, ½ small). Calories: 104. Protein: 1 gram. Fat: 9 grams. Sodium: 4 mg.
Banana (1 medium). Calories: 105. Protein: 1 gram. Fat: 0. Sodium: 1 mg
Cottage cheese (nonfat, 1 cup). Calories: 104. Protein: 15 grams. Fat: 0. Sodium: 478 mg.
Hard-boiled eggs (1 jumbo). Calories: 90. Protein: 8 grams. Fat: 6 grams. Sodium: 88 mg.
Kiwi fruit (sliced, 1 cup). Calories: 108. Protein: 2 grams. Fat: 1 gram. Sodium: 5 mg.
Milk (nonfat, 1 cup). Calories: 86. Protein: 8 grams. Fat: 0. Sodium: 127 mg.
Mozzarella cheese (part skim, 1-1/2 oz. with fresh tomato, sliced). Calories: 110. Protein: 11 grams. Fat: 6 grams. Sodium: 220 mg.
Popcorn (air-popped, 3 cups). Calories: 93. Protein: 3 grams. Fat: 0. Sodium: 3 mg.
Raspberry smoothie (1/2 cup nonfat milk, ½ cup raspberries, 1 tsp. honey). Calories: 97. Protein: 4 grams. Fat: 0. Sodium: 63 mg.
Sunflower seed butter (1 tbsp. with apple slices, ¼ cup). Calories: 107. Protein: 3 grams. Fat: 8 grams. Sodium: 0
Whole wheat mini pitas (2, with hummus, 1 tbsp.). Calories: 101. Protein: 4 grams. Fat: 2 grams. Sodium: 185 mg.
–Â Lori Zanteson, Environmental Nutrition
(c) 2012 BELVOIR MEDIA GROUP DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
