Conquer your snack attacks

We all have snack attacks: After work when the kids are hungry and we're frazzled from a hectic day, late in the evening while watching the telly or on lazy weekend afternoons. Don’t give in to your urges, though. Instead, control your snacking with three easy steps:

Be prepared. Make sure you have healthy snacks on hand, and keep biscuits and other high-fat, high-sugar treats in the back of the cupboard and fridge
Go for variety. If you had cereal and toast for breakfast, perhaps a mid-morning snack could consist of fruit or yoghurt—healthy foods that you haven’t yet eaten today but know you should. If you use this tactic, you won't be as easily tempted to choose high-calorie snacks, and you'll improve your nutritional intake at the same time
Choose a snack that satisfies. Do you want something salty? Sweet? Cold? If you identify what type of flavour or texture you want, you're more likely to be satisfied when you eat your snack. Here are some ideas for healthy ones:

To satisfy your sweet tooth:

Fresh or dried fruit
A frozen fruit-based dessert or other frozen treat
Low-fat yoghurts in exotic flavours: cappuccino, banana or chocolate mint

If you're looking for something crunchy:

Plain, reduced-fat microwave popcorn. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for extra flavour
Pretzels and low-fat crackers made with whole grains
Tortilla chips
Baby carrots, celery and cucumber sticks. Keep them ready to eat in the refrigerator

If you’re craving protein:

Cubes of low-fat cheese
A hard-boiled egg
Rolled-up slices of low-fat turkey or ham
A hearty lentil or black bean salad for fibre and protein: Simply mix rinsed and drained tinned legumes with your favourite fat-free salad dressing