No matter if we are watching television or need a quick bite to and from picking the kids up at school, or at work - we all love snacks one way or another. We can't get away from that fact - so why fight it? Our whole life we have been told that snacking is not good for us. It will ruin our appetite, make us fat, or we'll break out in pimples. While some of it is true, most of it is nothing more than fiction.



Snacking performs a very important role in our lives. Some times we snack because we are bored. Mostly we eat because we are bored and not because we're hungry.

But there is no reason to cut out snacking all together. Snacking is also a great as a pick me up some times - a kind of motivation. For example, we can eat a piece of fruit instead of eating potato chips or the cola to get some energy.

The key thing to do is, to know what to eat and what not to eat. Here we will give you some snacking ideas that will help you choose what's better. It doesn't require a genius to figure it out, but you might be surprised at some of the suggestions. This might sound a bit strange, but I would suggest that you get a food dehydrator. You can get one for next to nothing and they are easy to use. I know that learning how to use something new isn't always as easy as it sounds, but believe me, these things are a snap to use.

You can dry all kinds of things in your dehydrator. The key is to cut fruits and veggies thin. The thinner it's cut, the faster they will dry. Fruits are a great thing to dry. You can dry whatever is in season that you can find. You can also dry canned items. I would suggest that you start out with a few easy things. Start out with strawberries that are easy to dry.

Not only are strawberries easy, but when they are dried, they carry a punch of sweetness that only sugar can match. The great thing is, these are sweet, but they don't have the calories of candy. You can also dry veggies as well. Are you like me, do you love the instant soup mixes they sell at the store? Well, I love them but hate all the added salt. If you dry your own veggies, you can make your own soup and you can control how much salt you add.

Here is something you might like to do as a snack. Take a handful of banana chips, strawberry chips, and about two apple chips. I take them and put them in some low fat yogurt. That makes for a snack that is good for you and you could grow to love it. You can eat the dried food plain as well. Just eat some fruit chips instead of potato chips or candy. You really can't go wrong with dried fruits. They will last a very long time if you keep them in an airtight bag or box as well.

Fish jerky, turkey jerky and beef jerky are easy to make. Making jerky will also save money so you wont have to pay over ten dollars a pound for jerky. Use what ever cut of meat that is on sale at the store for beef jerky. And you can always eat a veggie platter for a snack. Veggies are always good, but some people get bored with them. So mix dried fruits and veggies to break the boredom.

A great veggie plate can be made up of any type of veggies. Suggestion; make yours with what ever is in season. Also try putting a little oil and vinegar dressing on them. Not too much, but just enough to taste. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze half a lemon over them for an extra zing.

Make sure to keep a healthy diet and try not to snack on foods that aren't good for you. I know tons of people who have a very good diet, but their problem is that they eat all kinds of junk when they snack. This doesn't serve any purpose at all.

If you must have carbohydrates, be sensible, reaching for the potato chips is not a good idea. Instead, eat some sliced potatoes and add some seasoning to them.

The next time you feel guilty because you ate the wrong snack food, come back and read this article again. This will help you curb those hunger cravings and allow you to snack without the guilt.