Snack attacks: quick-fix foods for any time of the day - includes recipes

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 1997 by Jennifer Viegas

All of us have experienced them. Maybe they happen to you at the gym or seated at your desk. Perhaps they hit you after a long day at work or school. "They" are the snack cravings -- the overpowering urges that propel otherwise rational, stable and controlled individuals toward vending machines and cookies jars at odd times of the day in pursuit of foods that send healthful diet resolutions out the window.

Instead of reaching for a low-fat item, most snackers tend to choose foods loaded with sugar, salt and fat. Large grocery stores certainly are aware of the temptation. Take a glance at all of the unhealthful impulse items displayed near the checkout aisles.

It is not the snacking itself that is bad, but rather what we choose to snack on. Many dietitians believe that for maintaining efficient metabolism and energy, eating several small meals a day is preferable to downing three large ones. Busy schedules rarely permit frequent meal breaks, but it is possible to incorporate healthful snacks into a balanced diet.

Advance planning is the key to healthful snacking. Recognize your eating habits, such as the types of foods you prefer and the times of day you tend to get hungry and prepare snack foods accordingly. It helps to make snacks well in advance and in large quantities. Choose foods that store easily. Snacks with little moisture content, such as trail mixes and granola, keep for days when stored in airtight containers, and they will last even longer when refrigerated or frozen.

Fresh produce is ideal for snacks, but there are times when a craving for something salty or sweet must be satiated. Unless you have tremendous willpower, and are able to reach for a plain rice cake during these moments, try to prepare your own snacks. Homemade versions are particularly less expensive and more healthful than commercial snacks. An additional benefit to making your own snacks is the opportunity to tailor them to satisfy your usual snack cravings.

Above all, snacking should be fun. Besides satiating hunger, snacks serve as little personal rewards that enhance the enjoyment of food and life. Exercise can elicit the same feelings, so double your pleasure by combining the two. Carry snack foods when biking, camping or hiking or when participating in other outdoor activities. Snacks not only add levity to rest periods but also replenish energy and nutrients. Be sure to have plenty of liquids on hand as well.

Snakcs are not only fun to eat; they're fund to make. Several young friends helped test these recipes. The children especially loved stirring the dry, ingredients for the trail mix and granola recipes, pouring the yogurt bar mixture into the popsicle molds, springkling the powdered seasoning over the bagel slices and rolling out the corn chip dough.

When it was time to sample the results of our efforts, adult friends joined in. Snacks seem to bring out the kid in all of us. Because they lack formality, snacks, like popsicles and finger foods, allow us to relax and enjoy simple pleasures.

So go ahead, submit to those snacking temptations, only this time do yourself a favor by treating body and spirit to nourishing, quality treats made with wholesome ingredients and lots of love.

Mount Fuji Trail Mix

A delicious, savory alternative to the usual cereal snack blends, this trail mix is a must for lovers of Asian or Japanese-style foods. Look for crackers, dried peas and nori that do not contain MSG or other additives.

4 cups crispy rice or corn cereal
squares
3 cups Asian rice crackers
1 1/2 cups dried peas
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup honey or rice syrup (see
glossary, p. 130)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbs. margarine
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 cup crumbled, dried nori (see
glossary, p. 130)
2 Tbs. black sesame seeds (see
glossary, p. 130)

6 plain bagels
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1/2 cup dried buttermilk powder (see
glossary, p. 130)
2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
2 Tbs. minced dried chives