Healthy snacks

Snacking is becoming increasingly common as more and more of us find ourselves with less time to fit in a ‘proper’ meal during the day.

Despite the widespread assumption that it’s somehow incompatible with a healthy diet, eating ‘little and often’ can actually be a very good way to make sure you get all the right nutrients to stay fit and healthy.

In fact, scientific studies have shown that people who eat fewer but larger meals tend to be more overweight and have more heart disease, while frequent eating can help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Of course, what you snack on has a major bearing on how healthy your diet is. Crisps, chocolates and ‘pie and a pint’ lunches clearly don’t fall into the category of healthy snacks. But there’s no reason why sensible amounts of fresh and dried fruit, vegetable sticks, soups and salads, cheese, cereal bars, yoghurts and fruit juice shouldn’t provide all the nutrients you need throughout the day.