A good snack leaves you feeling satisfied and gives you a little bit of an energy boost. Healthy snacks don’t have to be boring. In fact, the options for healthy snacks are endless. You can mix and match ingredients to create one-of-a-kind creations. Keeping snacks interesting prevents you from regressing to the unhealthy side of snacking.

1. Fruit with Caramel Dipping Sauce or low fat yogurt: Sliced apples and bananas seem to work best. Pick your favorite fruits and experiment.
2. Vegetables with Low-Fat Ranch or peanut butter: Celery, carrots, broccoli, bell pepper strips, and cucumbers are all delicious with ranch dressing.
3. 98% fat free popcorn with 1 tsp butter or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese: Popcorn is great for you and eliminating the added fat returns it to a healthy form.
4. Fruit smoothie with low-fat yogurt and real fruit juice: Mix a few handfuls of fresh or frozen fruit (omit ice cubes if using frozen fruit) with some low-fat yogurt and juice. Blend until smooth. Add honey if it needs sweetening. Add more juice if the smoothie is too thick.
5. Dried berry and lightly salted nut mix: Tree nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pistachios offer excellent nutritional value. Add some dried unsweetened cherries, cranberries, and raisins and you have yourself a satisfyingly sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy snack. You can even throw in a few dark chocolate chips if you’re feeling adventurous.
6. Low fat crackers like Triscuits: Low fat crackers covered in a smear of fat free cream cheese make a tasty snack. You won’t even notice you’re filling up on healthy whole grains and protein.
7. Carob or dark chocolate: Sometimes you just have to have a chocolate fix. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants. Carob is a sweet alternative to chocolate.
8. Cheerios: Nothing says healthy snack like the cholesterol lowering Cheerio. Not only are they delicious, they are proven to develop hand-eye coordination in small children.
9. Frozen yogurt: You can’t beat frozen treats when it is hot outside. If you are craving a smooth, frozen snack, choose frozen yogurt over ice cream.
10. Some breakfast bars: Nutrigrain bars and Kroger Fig Bars are an excellent low calorie source of whole grains with a little bit of protein and sweetness mixed in. Beware the calorie packed granola bar as some are stuffed to the gills with high fructose corn syrup and fats.

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