CDEV 5

Healthy Snacking Snacks can help you get the nutrients you need to grow and maintain a healthy weight. Choose a variety of snacks from each of the five food groups over the course of a week. Examples from each food group include:

Grains whole grain crackers, cereal, rice cakes, sliced bread, mini bagels, graham crackers, whole wheat tortillas

Vegetables carrots, celery, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, sugar peas, avocados

Fruits apple, tangerine, strawberry, banana, pineapple, kiwi, peach, mango, nectarine, melon, grapes, berries, dried apricots

Dairy low-fat cheese slices or string cheese, yogurt, fat-free or low-fat milk, low-fat cottage cheese

Protein Foods boiled egg, peanut butter, bean dip, hummus, slices of lean turkey or chicken, pumpkin seeds

� Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk and fruits.

� In some foods, like most candies and sodas, all the calories are empty calories. � Empty calories can also be found in some other foods that contain important nutrients. For example, a fruit

cup packed in syrup has empty calories (from added sugars), whereas a fruit cup packed in water does not, and whole milk has empty calories (from solid fats), whereas skim milk does not.

� Choose snacks that are lower in sodium. Try to choose snacks with less than 200 milligrams (mg) of sodium per serving. Sodium is found in salt. Too much sodium is bad for your health. It can increase your blood pressure and your risk for a heart attack and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the United States.

� Eating less sodium can reduce risk for high blood pressure. USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion