March is National Nutrition Month and centers on making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year’s theme is, “Eat Right, Bite by Bite.” In honor of the campaign and to celebrate the theme, we’ve created a series of videos in which we highlight the small goals and changes you can make while still having a profound effect on your overall health. Our fourth installment showcases, Jenny Gotsch, RD, Parkview Health, shares a few ways to incorporate some fun and healthy snacks into your daily routine.
Sensible snacking
Snacking often gets a bad rap, but it’s an important part of a healthy diet. Here are a few reasons why healthy snacking could be a great addition to your routine:
- It’s a great way to incorporate different food groups, especially those you might have missed out on during regular meals.
- Healthy snacks can also prevent you from being overly hungry, keeping you from overeating at mealtimes.
While snacking is a great idea, you should keep in mind the general recommendations, which suggest consuming about 100-150 calories per snack. Therefore, portion control and healthy choices are key.
Family favorites
If you’re interested in including snacks in your normal routine some of my favorites include:
- peanut butter and bananas
- a handful of pistachios
- raw veggies like carrots or celery with low-fat ranch
- popcorn seasoned with parmesan cheese
I hope you enjoy incorporating some fun and healthy snacks into your diet.
Watch more
Join us every Tuesday in March for more healthful hints from our clinical dieticians.
