Snacking will not make you fat: Only too many calories overall will do that. In fact, snacks can offer a control advantage if you're dieting. A 100 to 200-calorie snack eaten two to three hours before a meal can take the edge off your hunger and keep you from overeating.

Choosing the best snacks is now the challenge. There are ways to snack successfully. Follow the tips below to be sure your snack foods are good choices.

Successful Snacking

1. When you eat is not as important as what or how much.
2. Don't think of snacks as extras. Make them a part of your food plan for the day.
3. Plan your whole day's foods around the food pyramid guideline. This will help insure that you balance out your snacks and meals. For example, an afternoon snack of an orange (from the fruit and vegetable group) and a couple of graham crackers (from the grain group) counts towards your daily quota of fruits and grains.
4. View snacks as mini-meals, or as bits and pieces of a nutritious meal spread out over time. Have snacks fill in the voids left by what you didn't eat, or won't be eating, at meals. Think, "snacks to fill in the cracks."
5. Plan snacks ahead of time to avoid grabbing the first thing that you see.
6. Budget the potato chips. There's no need to give them up completely; just be sure they fit into your day's total for fat and calories. You can balance higher-fat or higher-calorie snacks with lower-calorie and lower-fat choices at other meals, or with other snacks.