by Mario Carini

Created on: October 31, 2009   Last Updated: November 01, 2009

It's inevitable. At some point during the day or night you get the craving to snack. Snacking has become a tradition in America. Unfortunately, snacking spells trouble for many as those in-between-meals snacks quickly add up to more pounds. Sweet and salty snacks are hard to resist and fighting the urge is next to impossible.

No one is going to deprive themselves for very long when temptation lies everywhere.

But snacking can't be eliminated. The solution doesn't depend on cutting back as much as it does on what you snack on. For many that means chips, candy and soda. Unfortunately, none of these will do any good toward weight lose or help maintain health. Their saturated fat, sugar and empty calories guarantee you'll pack on the pounds regardless of how much wholesome food you may be eating the rest of the day.

A bag of chips with its attractive packaging is easier to reach for than a wholesome apple. When it comes to taste, they don't compare, but that apple will do you far more good than a bag of jumbo potato chips.

You need to keep in mind that food manufacturers want you to eat more so you can buy more at the grocery store. They add ingredients to their food designed to create the urge to eat. For the manufacturer, that means more sales and profits. For you it means more pounds.

The best foods to snack on should be light and not filling. Fruits like bananas, apples, oranges, peaches and pears make for good snacks as they are loaded with heart healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals. One cup of cubed cantaloupe gives you 68 milligrams of vitamin C, more than 100 percent of the recommended RDA.

Vegetables aren't considered a snack food, but they contain far more vitamins and minerals than you would ever find in a bag of pretzels. A medium sized carrot provides your vitamin A needs for the day. Its beta carotene content helps support eye health. Broccoli, that vegetable that children detest, ranks high in many essential nutrients. You get 68% of your daily requirements of vitamin C in just half a cup of chopped raw broccoli with a good deal offolate and vitamin A. It has as much calcium as milk. Raw broccoli is far more nutritious. It can be eaten with a low fat dip.

But if you're not ready to snack on carrot sticks and cauliflower florets, try a yogurt parfait. Add blueberries or other berries for theirphytonutrients . Plain low-fat yogurt contains a good amount of calcium with some 415 milligrams in every one cup serving. If you crave some sweetness, add somestevia

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