Healthy Snacks for the Holidays

The holiday season, filled with open houses, family gatherings, shopping excursions, and an abundance of food and drink, tends to disrupt routine activities, including healthy eating and particularly healthy snacking.

"The trick during the holidays is to not only eat healthy meals based on lean proteins, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, and low-fat dairy — but also to make sure you work in your mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, which will help you keep your cravings under control."

Of course, it’s easier if your kitchen is stocked with healthy snacks. Here are a few items you should keep around during the holiday season (and throughout the year) to help keep you on track:

For Phase 1:

* Edamame
* Hard-boiled eggs
* Fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese
* Fresh vegetables
* Hummus
* Nuts
* Part-skim ricotta cheese
* Plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt
* Reduced-fat cheese sticks
* Sliced lean deli meat: ham, turkey and chicken breast, roast beef
* Tomato juice and vegetable-juice cocktail

For Phases 2 and 3, stock up on the above plus:

* Fresh fruits
* High-fiber, whole-grain cereal (look for ones with at least 3 grams of fiber and less than 8 grams of sugar)
*Whole-wheat bread
* Whole-grain crackers

By enjoying healthy snack foods like these throughout the holiday season (and every day of the year), you can save your moments of indulgence for those truly irresistible holiday treats.

source: www.southbeachdiet.com