Building Healthy Eating Habits
One of the most important things to remember when trying to maintain a healthy eating habit is that the easier it is the more likely you are to succeed. Through the use of simple healthy snacks, you can provide yourself with easy to make meals that are also good for you.
Approximate number of calories Healthy snack options
10 calories 1 large stalk of celery
25-30 calories 1 cup raw vegetables
6 medium baby carrots
60 calories 2 cups air-popped or light popcorn
1 cup of cantaloupe or grapes
1 small can of vegetable juice
100 calories 1 cup sliced bananas and fresh raspberries
2 domino-sized slices low-fat Colby or cheddar cheese
1 fat-free chocolate pudding cup
150 calories 1/2 cup frozen, low-fat yogurt topped with 1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced apples with 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
4 slices whole-grain crispbread (a wafer-thin cracker)
200 calories 1/4 cup dry roasted soy nuts (calories vary by brand)
1/3 cup granola
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese topped with 1/2 cup sliced fresh peaches
Source: Department of Agriculture — Nutrient Data Laboratory, 2005
One such healthy snack that is also easy to make and convenient to have on hand, is 2 cups air popped or light popped popcorn. As you can see from the chart this snack is equal to one small can of vegetable juice, and adds only 60 calories to your daily diet. Many people choose to snack on baby carrots or frozen vegetable slices, while this is very healthy and provides many necessary vitamins and nutrients, it is also something that can be easily taken overboard. Through the chart you can see that six raw baby carrots represent roughly 30 calories in your daily diet, if eaten constantly all day these baby carriage there were once meant to be healthy can turn out to be a very troublesome part of your daily diet
