Tip# 34 Smart Snacking

All your life you've probably had people telling you that you shouldn't snack between meals, that it's bad for you, that it will cause you to gain weight. They're wrong. It's not snacking that's bad for you, but rather the foods that are usually eaten as snacks that are the problem. Most of them are high in fat and low on the EMI scale. 
Snacking actually helps keep your body fueled, so you won't get hungry and do something foolish like go on a binge of foods that are bad for you. Keep the following snacks handy, at home, work and play. Encourage your family to trade their old snacks in for these improved forms of snacking food. You'll find that the following snacks are fast and easy to prepare. Eat all of them you want, at any time.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE:

• Potato chips are 58% fat by calories or 10 grams per ounce.
• Corn chips are 53% fat by calories or 9 grams per ounce.
• Pita bread chips are 2% fat by calories or 0.7 grams per ounce.

SOME FACTS: One of the greatest advantages of the Eat More, Weigh Less™ Diet is that it allows you to eat all you want, including snacking. This helps keep you satisfied so you won't be tempted to "binge."

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Cut whole wheat pita bread into eighths and toast in a toaster oven or in a regular oven on a cookie sheet. Eat them like chips, especially with dip such as the Simple Hummus (garbanzo) dip on page 319.
• Try these additional snack ideas.
1. Air-popped popcorn (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 53)
2. Corn on the cob (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 4)
3. Oven roasted potatoes
4. Baked "new potatoes"
5. Steamed sweet potatoes (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 31)
6. Rice cakes with spread
7. Bagels with spread (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 18)
8. Chapati bread with spread (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 60)
9. Whole grain pretzels
10. Slices of fresh fruit
11. Veggies and dips (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 45)
12. Zip pizza (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 41)
13. Zip burritos (see Eat More, Weigh Less™ Tip 61)
14. Brown rice balls wrapped in nori
15. Fat-free chips