nack time should occur twice a day, ideally half way between breakfast and lunch and again between lunch and dinner. Snacks can be small individual items, such as a piece of fruit, or they can be mini meals, like veggie quesadillas. They should contain between 60 and 200 calories, but they ought not be empty calories. Think of snacks as opportunities to boost your nutrient intake instead of occasions to indulge cravings.

Snacking is especially important for children and older adults because it supplements calories and nutrients that may not have been eaten at other meals. Children often can’t eat enough to meet their nutritional needs at meals because their tummies don’t hold a lot of food, and adults over 60 do not always eat three meals a day for reasons such as illness, disability, a tight budget, or flagging energy levels that prevent them from preparing food. Small simple snacks can be a boon for both of these populations.

Snacks are also good for people who are prone to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), are trying to lose weight, are active or have diabetes. There is evidence that well-balanced snacks are great for helping to control appetite and the release of insulin. Using less insulin can, over time, help prevent type 2 diabetes. Controlling your appetite with the right snacks can help you eat less at subsequent meals, which may in turn lead to weight loss.

Finally, snacks can help give you an energy boost, especially if they include some combination of carbohydrates and protein. Eating between meals can be healthful for everyone if it is done with some planning. Be sure to pack snacks when you or your child leave the house in the morning. Otherwise, unplanned haphazard snacking can get you into nutritional and caloric trouble.

Eating well takes some strategizing, especially when you are preparing meals and snacks for children. Kids do not need special foods, but they do have certain taste preferences for sweet foods and possible aversions to bitter foods, like vegetables. There has been a lot of research in this area and one recent study has confirmed that children need repeated exposure to vegetables (at least nine, but 12 is better) before they start to like them. This is a very important piece of information since an estimated 70% of American children are not getting their five (half-cup) recommended daily servings of vegetables. Two and a half cups of vegetables a day is a lot, especially when combined with the recommended one and a half cups (three servings) of fruit a day. The high requirement of produce for health and optimal development underscores the importance of snacking—for both children and adults (who need even more produce than kids).

Another important new study has found that packaging and advertising can strongly influence children’s taste preferences. Researchers fed young children hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries, 1% milk and baby carrots. The foods were wrapped in both plain packaging and in basic McDonald’s packaging. Even though all of the food came from the same source, most of the children strongly preferred the taste of the foods wrapped in the McDonald’s packaging. The children with the strongest preferences for the McD’s uncoincidentally watched the most television and ate fast food more often than the other kids. Advertising to children definitely works and, unfortunately, produce is rarely advertised—it’s usually junk food manufacturers that can afford to promote their products. Instead of being defeated by the power of ads and wrapping your childrens’ vegetables in McDonald’s packaging, how about limiting their exposure to television and fast food? Television and advertisements are teaching kids about what to eat and, as a result, children are getting fatter and unhealthier every year. Parents, caregivers and teaches should reclaim the role of being the food and nutrition authorities. In lieu of time spent in front of the tube, occupy children by encouraging them to read books with positive produce themes, help you in your vegetable garden (it can be miniature) and help out in the kitchen when you prepare meals.

Foods that are marketed as snack foods are probably the same foods you want to avoid for snacks since they are often highly processed, high in calories, and nutrient poor. Your snacking philosophy should mirror your healthy eating philosophy: eat minimally processed foods that mostly come from plants and don’t eat too much of anything. For great snacks, try the excellent foods I suggest here (eat them in larger quantities as part of a meal). The level of calories you need should be determined by how hungry you are and how large or small your next meal will be. If you want to eat less at your next meal, then try having a larger snack, but if you are eating well-balanced, satisfying meals, then a piece of fruit or a handful of cherry tomatoes may be all you need to tide you over. If you are active or need help with controlling your blood sugar, be sure to either have an item from the Stand-Alone category or combine one item from the Carbohydrates column with one item from the Proteins column. The miscellaneous foods are not “free foods,” but a little bit goes a long way in perking up your snacks. The possibilities are endless…

Carbohydrates (1/2-1 ounce) Any veggies, especially cherry tomatoes, carrots, avocado, sugar snap peas, radishes, red and yellow bell pepper slices or endive (1/2-1 cup) Any fruit (1 piece or 1 cup) Food for Life sprouted whole-grain breads Guiltless Gourmet baked blue corn tortilla chips Whole-wheat pasta Kashi TLC 7 whole grain and sesame or Ak-Mak crackers Newman’s Own organic spelt pretzels Tropicana or Stretch Island fruit leather bars Corn tortilla Whole-grain cereal with at least 5 grams of fiber, like Kashi Go Lean Crunch, Heart to Heart or granola Dried fruit, like raisins, plums or cherries

Proteins (serving sizes vary) Flanigan Farms raw nuts, Blue Diamond almonds in 100 calorie bags, Jo San soy nuts or Seapoint Farms dry roasted edamame (1/4 cup) Fage Total, Horizon Organic or Stonyfield organic plain fat-free yogurt (6 ounces) Horizon Organic nonfat milk (4-8 ounces) Cedar Lane hummus or homemade bean dip (1/4 – 1/2 cup) West Soy unsweetened vanilla organic soy milk (4-8 ounces) Boar’s Head low-sodium turkey breast or Applegate Farms sliced turkey or roast beef 1-2 ounces) Organic hardboiled eggs (1 item) Cashew butter, almond butter, or peanut butter (2 tablespoons) Horizon Organic low-fat or Friendship low-sodium cottage cheese (1//2 cup) Low-fat cheese, like string cheese, part skim mozzarella, light Swiss cheese, Farmer’s cheese or Veggie Slices soy cheese (1 ounce) Edamame (1 cup in pods)

Miscellaneous (1-2 tablespoons) Gelson’s Finest fresh salsa Garlic Expressions or Galeos miso salad dressings Classico tomato basil tomato sauce Sarabeth’s spreadable fruit jam Laughing Cow light cheese Imported grated Parmesan cheese   Stand-Alone Snacks (perfectly balanced) Muesli Bars (see my recipe card) (1 bar) Unsalted dry roasted or raw nuts, Jo San soy nuts or Seapoint Farms dry roasted edamame (1/4 cup) Edamame (see my recipe card) (1 cup) Kashi TLC chewy trail mix bars (1 bar) Flanigan Farms trail mix (1/4 cup) Health Valley organic Lentil or Minestrone soups (1 cup) Amy’s organic vegetarian refried beans (1/2 cup)

A few great combos: