5 Reasons You Can Snack During The Day

Three square meals a day? That's old thinking. The new way to stay lean, conquer cravings and get all your daily nutrients is to master the mini meal. Real SImple Health Editor Camille Chatterjee stopped by to tell us how we can snack smarter.

1. Keep Your Metabolism Humming
a. Eating about 3 meals a day with 2 or 3 snacks in between can make your metabolism more efficient
b. Snacking can help your body burn a few calories

2. It helps you eat less at mealtimes
a. You are much better off having 2 snacks between the hours of 2 PM and 7 PM than having a light dinner
b. If you wait until you're so ravenous that you would eat the kitchen table, you'll wind up eating way more calories when you do finally sit down to eat

3. It ensures you get all your vitamins
a. Snacking is a great way to fit in all the nutrients that you body requires each day
b. Average American woman doesn't get the recommended 1,000-1,200 milligrams of calcium a day so you should seek out snacks rich in mineral (low-fat yogurt or almonds)

4. It puts you in a good mood
a. When your blood sugar levels get too low, you can become irritable and have trouble concentrating
b. For mood control and cognitive and metabolic efficiency, healthy snacking between meals helps

5. It foils even the strongest cravings
a. If you are driving home from work and are hungry, every fast-food restaurant looks good, but if you have a snack before you leave work, then you can hold out for dinner
b. There is a healthy snack to kill every craving!
c. If you lust for: crunchy, salty treats, try ¾ of a cup of shelled edamame (has about 6 grams of fiber, 12 grams of protein, and 150 calories)

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PROTEIN BARS
Some are designed to replace meals and can be 300 calories or more. Look for bars that have 150-200 calories, at least 4 grams of protein, and 4 or more grams of fiber. A good option is larabar.

DRINKS AND SMOOTHIES
Liquids offer a low-calorie way of consuming a lot of volume, and more volume fills you up
GOOD SNACK - Skim decaf latte or skim cappuccino (calcium sources that fulfill a craving of warmth. 60-100 calorie soup (tomato soup has great appetite-killing powers)

100-CALORIE PACK
100 calories of junk is better than 500 calories of junk but often those 100 calories lead you to eat more, because then you are not satisfied with them

THE IDEAL SNACKS
Fewer than 200 caloeies and balance of carbs, protein and fats. Some good ideas are cucumber and laughing cow, mixed cereal, glenny's soy crisps

For more ideas on how to "Snack Smarter," check out the August issue of Real SImple, visit www.realsimple.com.