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Healthy Snacking Benefits

Healthy snacking improves overall health, curbs cravings, fights weight gain, regulates mood, boosts brain power and gives you the energy you need to keep going all day

By Lisa Baertlein everyday HEALTH

Resisting the urge to reach for a burger, candy, or chips when you're hit with a snack attack can make a big difference in your health — regardless of your age.

"Nutrition really is the key to a healthy lifestyle and a healthy life. It goes a long way toward lowering the risk for heart disease and improving overall health," says Dr. Rita Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, who also contributes to health-oriented cookbooks.

Healthy Snacking and Weight Control

Avoiding extreme hunger increases the likelihood that you'll pick the healthy snack rather than raiding the doughnut box in the break room or overeating at meals.

Megan Mullin, a nutritionist at Canyon Ranch SpaClub in Las Vegas, recommends that her clients eat small meals every three to five hours and that they resist the urge to overeat.

"The easy part is the frequent meals; the hard part is keeping them small. We are used to big meals," says Mullin. She recommends eating more during active times of the day: "If you can match your intake with your output, you'll be better off with your weight-control goals."

Another key is to keep healthy snacks on hand. "The best way to avoid eating food that you shouldn't is to not keep any around," says Dr. Redberg. "For the same reason you're not supposed to go grocery shopping when you're hungry — you buy a lot of stuff you really shouldn't."

Healthy Snacking Benefits. (2016, February 02). Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/meal-planning/healthy-snacking-benefits.aspx