4 Tips to Prevent Summer Snacks from Sabotaging Your Diet

Whether it’s a party in the park or a day at the beach, many people use chips and soda (pop) as a staple for parties and barbecues. But, high fat, high sugar and low fiber junk foods add extra calories quickly and don’t provide any of the good stuff for us such as fiber, vitamins, minerals and various nutrients. Try these tips to stay slim and healthy.

·        Whole wheat organic crackers for snacking (made without hydrogenated oil) and air popped popcorn (drizzled with olive oil or canola oil) – all better options instead of potato and tortilla chips.

·        Whole wheat pasta salad (a great side dish or main dish) dressed with olive oil and wine vinegar and filled with fresh veggies such as chopped olives, onions, celery, cherry or plum tomatoes with chopped mozzarella cheese as your protein – a healthier alternative to a heavy mayonnaise based macaroni salad that has no veggies or protein.

·         Hummus dip made with olive oil, fresh salsa and non fat Greek yogurt based dips for dipping whole wheat crackers and fresh cut up vegetables – all good choices instead of prepared dips that are high in fat, chemicals and preservatives.

·        Sparkling mineral water (without sugar, artificial sweeteners or colors), or plain water with a twist of lemon or lime, a great way to stay hydrated  - instead of soda pop which is high in sugar (or artificial sweeteners), artificial coloring/flavoring, and phosphoric acid, all of which are not healthy.