by Kimberly Schiller

Created on: October 14, 2009   Last Updated: August 04, 2010

You're trying to eat healthy and maybe hoping to lose weight. You plan out your meals for the week and go to the grocery store armed with a shopping list. You have a healthy breakfast Monday morning, and you eat your salad for lunch. Wow, healthy eating is easy! But then your stomach is growling as you work on a presentation at 4PM. Your mouth starts to water at a fast food commercial as you watch late night television. Visions of candy, chips, and that leftover birthday cake dance through your head. Snacking is the downfall of many healthy eating plans. Here are some ideas for healthy snacks to satisfy every craving and keep you from ruining your best laid plans.

*Sweets

The sweet tooth is probably the most common craving. Unfortunately, most of the sweet treats we reach for are loaded with added sugar, chemicals, and overly processed ingredients. The easy answer to this craving is fruit. Apples, berries, bananas, and frozen grapes are quick, refreshing, portable, and sweet. While fruit does contain sugar, it is natural unprocessed sugar that doesn't seem to spike blood sugar the way manufactured sweets do. Plus it contains fiber and nutrients.

To make this snack more filling, add some protein like peanut butter, cheese, or yogurt. If fruit just doesn't hit the spot, a little chocolate syrup in milk can be a good choice. Don't pick packaged flavored milk, as it often contains lots of added sugar and artificial flavoring. And if you really need a "candy bar", try one of the breakfast or protein bars on the market. While this isn't the best choice, since it contains lots of unnecessary ingredients, it is an improvement over the candy bar.

*Salty

Another craving that is hard to ignore is salty. Salty bagged convenience snacks like chips, flavored popcorn, and snack mixes are usually full of fat and artificial flavors. Instead, reach for some lightly salted nuts or seeds. They are filling because they contain fiber and healthy fats, but still provide the salt and crunch you're looking for.

Another option is to air pop some popcorn, spray it with a little olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with salt. You can also add Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, or red pepper for an added kick. Light microwave popcorn is okay, but does contain artificial ingredients and sometimes trans fat. And while many people consider pretzels a healthy snack, they are a simple carbohydrate which will spike your blood sugar, so they might not be a great option.

*Creamy

Sometimes it's not the

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