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Snack Attacks
Robin Miller's Tips on Snacking in a Healthy Way
By Donna Smith
The Food Network's Robin Miller, host of Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller and author of Quick Fix Meals (Taunton, 2007), can relate to what strikes kids, parents, the old and young, sometimes on a daily basis: a snack attack! But done right, you don't have to be afraid of snacks.
"Make sure you keep healthy snacks on hand (ones that also truly satisfy you) and you can keep intense hunger at bay while adding valuable nutrients and fiber to your day!" Miller says. "Think of snacking as a fun and delicious way to get the recommended servings of fruits, veggies, dairy and whole grains into your diet."
Miller, who recently held a nationwide Smart Snacking Contest with the Grain Foods Foundation, shares more of her expertise on conquering those snack attacks.
RM: Be prepared! Keep healthy snacks at your desk. Great choices include breadsticks, bread roll-ups (wheat bread rolled flat, topped with peanut butter or cheese and rolled up), pita with hummus (store hummus in the office fridge), trail mix and homemade croutons. Don't opt for high-sugar candy or high-fat chips – think of snacks as a chance to enjoy great-tasting food while adding nutrients to your day.
RM: Fresh fruit, baby carrots with fat-free dip, reduced-fat cheese and pretzels, wheat bread with a smear of peanut butter or cream cheese (or apple butter or almond butter), fat-free or low-fat yogurt, cereal or granola (low sugar varieties) with fat-free milk, a handful of nuts, soynuts or sunflower seeds.