A snack is basically any food or drink consumed between meals. Researchers consider the snack smaller than a meal, providing less calories, or takes place at least after 15 minutes of meal time, but snackers look for a quick, convenient way, or a pleasurable break from daily routine.
Many of the most widely consumed snack foods are high in refined carbohydrates, added sugars and low in nutritional value. Non-diet soft drinks, cookies, candies, pastries, chips, and crackers generally contain more calories and are less satiating than fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. It becomes more important to choose foods that are more nutrient dense concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and other essentials. Nutrient dense foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seafoods, lean meat and eggs. An ideal snack should be both nourishing and promote satiety to help improve health and to prevent overeating.
To make snacks a part of healthy diet, the energy needs are to be considered, and the necessary adjustments are to be made to ensure that the calories are rightly met. When the craving for sweet hits, fruits mixed into snacks can add satisfying sweetness, replacing the chocolates and sugars.
Snacks are consumed more by children and eating the same snacks may become boring for them. Snacks become interesting if they contain more than one food. Intake of nutritious and healthy snacks can help children to be more healthy and nutritious rather than adding up empty calories to their body.
Healthy snacks viz.,
(i) Ragi and Oats Crackers,
(ii) Dal Pandoli,
(iii) Green Gram Chaat,
(iv) Egg Chaat,
(v) Poha Upma,
(vi) Stuffed Capsicum,
(vii) Bread Dosa toast,
(viii) Stuffed mushroom,
(ix) Sprout balls and
(x) Groundnut tikka
are some healthy snack items that can be consumed by any age group as it is nutritious as well has low glycemic index.