Buy Snacks in Small Packs

            Stroll the Candy aisle of any supermarket. It’s amazing to see how many different kinds of chocolate bars there are to choose from. Look at all the other types of sugar-filled, artificially colored junk foods we can pick from, be they gummy worms or old-fashioned caramels. Next, take a walk down the Chips aisle (imagine, a whole aisle just for chips . . .). How many types of potato chips do we really need?

It’s said that variety is the spice of life. Well, we sure have enough variety in the snack department. In fact, it’s apparent that our culture has become so fixated on junk food that we’ve forgotten how to eat. Full of fats, salt, sugar and chemicals, these snack foods can adversely affect our health if we overindulge, and most of us do.

Now take a look at the Frozen Foods section. How many of these products can you identify as junk foods in disguise? From pastries that fit in a toaster to meaty, dough-wrapped snacks, most of these frozen snacks are full of artificial stuff, and do not count as good nutritional choices.

Now think of the number of times you’ve filled up on junk food rather than real food. How many times have you opened a bag of chips or cookies or candy when you weren’t really hungry, and entertained yourself by eating the whole bag? How many times have you been in such a rush that some quick junk food served as your meal? Most of us can say that we’ve done these things often.

Take a look at what your children are eating. It’s astonishing to me how many parents closely monitor their children’s TV viewing, friends, music, social activities, and Internet use, even as they stuff their cupboards with foods that cause obesity and other health problems for those children.

Most snack foods are full of sugar—or, even worse, artificial sugar—fat, salt, artificial flavors and colors, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and a variety of additives and preservatives. None of these is good for you.

My best advice for you is to give them up. Yes, I mean give up eating junk snack foods. Don’t shop in the Candy, Cookie, Chips, or Frozen Food aisles—skip them altogether. You can’t eat it if you don’t buy it. Learn to use healthy, natural foods for snacks. Try fresh or dried fruit, yogurt, nuts, and fresh vegetables. Shop the health-food store for natural alternatives to artificial snack foods.

If you feel that you just can’t give up snack foods, learn to regulate how you use them. This process begins at the grocery store. Start by thinking about what you’re buying. What snack food would you buy if you could choose only one? What is your second choice? Do you need both? Look at the lists of ingredients—are you sure you want to eat that?

Take a close look at the contents of your shopping cart before you check out. How many snack items did you choose? Did you really plan to buy that many? Would you like to put something back on the shelf?

Next, never super-size it! Don’t buy the largest package of anything. I know that snacks seem to cost less in bigger packages, but think of the cost in treatment for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other diet-related diseases. Eating cheap junk food now costs you many times more later, in healthcare.

If you must buy snacks, buy the tiniest package possible. Most stores carry chips and cookies in single-serving packages, all ready to put in lunch pails. Why not buy those? The cost per cookie is higher, but that’s even more of an incentive to eat less of them. Small packs stay fresh longer because they don’t sit open in the cupboard. With small packages, it’s easy to know when to stop munching: the package is empty.

If you must buy full-size packages of snacks, always look at the label to determine what a serving size is, then measure one serving into a dish. Often a serving will be something like 10 chips. Admit it—if you’re holding the bag in your hand, you’re probably going to eat more than one 10-chip serving. Candy packages also list serving sizes; be sure to read the label before you eat the whole thing.

Make a healthy choice. Decide to reduce or eliminate the junk snack foods in your diet. Remember to measure servings. Don’t use snack foods in place of a meal. Follow these suggestions and you’ll be on your way to a healthier life.