Making Healthier Food Choices, Part 3: Snacks & Treats

Are you a snacker? Could your treat choices be better? Following on from making healthy changes to your breakfasts and main meals, in the final part of our healthier food choices we look at snacks.  Snacks can help you maintain your blood glucose levels and keep you fuller for longer between meals. Eating the right snacks can also help you meet your nutritional needs e.g. minerals, fibre, healthy fats and vitamins.  

What are healthy snacks?

Ask any dietician and they'll tell you the best snacks are fruit, unsalted nuts, no added sugar yoghurt and vegetables. Of course that is the goal for all of us. However, these healthy options can seem like quite a stretch. The below table offers examples of 'better' and 'even better' food choices and what the benefits are of making those changes.

This isn't a comprehensive guide to healthier choices; use it as a resource for inspiration for how you can make healthier food choices that are realistic, achievable and meet your own goals.

Eating a healthier diet doesn't mean cleaning out the fridge and pantry and going cold turkey. It is easier and more sustainable to use micro-steps to move you towards the ideal healthy choice.

Healthy Food Swap Ideas

If you’re looking for more ideas to make healthy food choices our Feel Good Food Swaps booklet is packed with ideas to make manageable, healthy food swaps easy. 

Article By: Kathryn Kirchner, Dietician