by Nick Osaada

Created on: October 30, 2008

The image is an iconic one: the lanky teenager, pausing for an eternity in front of the wide-open refrigerator door, rocking on his heels and muttering with frustration. The fridge may be stocked from end-to-end, but never with the almost mythical, always unavailable Perfect Snack. You're ALWAYS out of Item X. Why don't you EVER buy Item X? Everyone ELSE'S parents always buy Item X. Why can't your teen have NORMAL parents?

The perfect snack (the stuff legends and dreams are made of) is most often starchy, oily, loaded with unnecessary salts or sugars and frequently microwavable. You've certainly seen it before; the commercials for it often feature a bunch of absurdly hurried teens, all in a panic and led by TV-Mom's son, invading the kitchen in search of something quick and easy. TV Mom just bought a whole case of Product Y, luckily, and she smiles knowingly as all the teens rejoice, punching each other on the arm and basking in the glow of suddenly perfected lives. And that's why SHE buys Product Y, because she knows that her boys need to be ON THE GO. The burning question is, though: can such snacktime perfection be achieved via a healthier option?

Indeed it can. But be prepared to sacrifice your free time upon the altar of health...real snacks take a little time. They are also SNACKS, mind. Do not expect your teenager to jump at the idea of chewing a celery stick instead of a Kit Kat.

To this author, nature's perfect snack is the banana. It's colorful, it's fun to open, and it tastes great. It's possibly the most accessible fruit out there, and it may be prudent to start making use of it. Simple bananas not catchy enough? Dress it up. Slice it into strips and drizzle some chocolate onto it. It's filling, it has potassium, and it sure beats cake or cookies. Frozen bananas can beat ice cream, too.

If it needs to be crunchy, vegetable chips are a surprisingly delicious option. They're often shockingly colorful and attractive-instant draws-and they can be loaded with nutrients. A festive bowl of them right bang in middle of the kitchen table might be enough to stop a teen in his tracks and even prevent him from popping Product Y into the microwave. It's certainly worth a try.

Which leads to the question, what if it needs to be hot? Well, pizza is always a winner, but NOT in the way you may imagine. You see, if you the parent takes the initiative, pizza can be a good deal healthier than the frozen, preservative-laden variety. Use individual servings of whole wheat

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