Although snacks are the key to a healthy, balanced diet, nibbling on the wrong foods can add unwanted calories to your day. Teens should eat snacks that have a little protein and complex carbs to fill nutritional gaps and keep them full, according to https://superhealthykids.com.
“Slow digesting carbohydrates and starches such as whole grain breads, crackers, or pasta, brown rice, quinoa, etc. are all great options. They have more protein and fiber than their processed versions. This extra protein and fiber helps to slow the digestion process, meaning you’re fuller for a little longer (and not distracted by wanting a snack), and all those calories, which are energy, are released more slowly into your blood stream. Balancing those whole grains with a protein such as fat free Greek yogurt, chicken breast, hard boiled egg, skim string cheese, is also key to keeping your ability to focus and stay full,” said Amanda Roop, clinical nutrition coordinator at Glenview Terrace Nursing Center.
Along with carbs, starches, and proteins, most teens should be consuming four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit a day.
“The more colors you eat, the better off you’re going to be. It’s an easy rule of thumb that usually holds true,” Roop said. “Seasonal fruits and vegetables help keep it easy on the budget too.”
Gabriella Bendfeldt, sophomore, tries to get as many fruits and vegetables in her snacks during the day as possible.
“I don’t really have snacks during school, I have them after school or before sports start,” Bendfeldt said. “My mom usually packs me fruit, like an apple, and then she packs Cheez-Its, or something like that.”
Active students like Bendfeldt should be having about two to three snacks a day, according to Roop.
“How many snacks some needs depends on the person. Some guys can get away with just their three big meals. I, however, find it better to aim for 3 small or medium sized meals and 2-3 snacks per day,” said Roop.
Bendfeldt says she has one or two small snacks a day during the school year. She believes that having many snacks throughout the day makes people gain weight, and would rather eat a bigger lunch than snacks during the day.
“[I think] eating snacks makes you less healthy because you should just be eating your three main meals a day,” Bendfeldt said. “ One to two snacks are okay, but snacking throughout the whole day it isn’t good for your body.”
Although snacking is healthy for the body, having too many snacks during the day can make teens gain weight. According to Roop, snacks should be consumed every two to four hours, and should be the equivalent of a couple of clementines or about 10 almonds.
“[Avoid eating] anything highly processed,” Roop said. “If one or a few of the the first five ingredients on the label are sugar or end in -ose, [it is] probably not the best snack.”
Bendfeldt says she tries to eat healthy snacks, but believes that LZHS does not provide adequate options for her diet.
“LZHS only has Poptarts, which are fattening, and the bosco sticks, which are so unhealthy, and snacks of that kind,” Bendfeldt said. “If they made whole wheat [2] pizza, I feel that students would be so much healthier. There’s not a lot of fruit that we can get and no one ever gets the salads because they’re gross.”
Along with the school not providing enough healthy options for lunch, Bendfeldt also thinks that the hearty choices available are too expensive.
“I think [LZHS] should lower the prices of healthy snacks,” Bendfeldt said. “The more fattening snacks are always less expensive, but the healthy snacks are always more expensive because they’re organic and such.”
Snacks can make or break a diet. If healthy and in moderation, snacking is a key component in any balanced diet; but if snacking on junk food is a reoccuring problem, it can pack on the pounds.