Smart Snacking: Choosing Healthy Snacks

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Smart Snacking: Choosing Healthy Snacks

What do you already know about healthy snacks?

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to identify healthy snacks, understand their role in a balanced diet, classify snacks, and make smarter choices for your lifestyle.

What Is a Snack?

A snack is a small portion of food eaten between main meals. Snacks help keep your energy up and can be healthy or unhealthy depending on your choices.

Why Do We Snack?

People snack for many reasons: hunger, boredom, convenience, social events, or to boost energy during the day.

Snacks in Our Diet

Risks of Poor Snacking

Role of Snacks

Excessive or unhealthy snacks can lead to weight gain, poor nutrition, or low energy.

Snacks can fill gaps in nutrition or just satisfy cravings. Choosing the right snacks supports a healthy lifestyle.

What Makes a Snack Healthy?

A healthy snack is nutritious, contains vitamins or fibre, is low in added sugar and saturated fat, and helps you feel satisfied.

Classifying Snacks

Snacks can be classified as fresh, packaged, convenience, or discretionary foods. Understanding these types helps you make better choices.

Fresh Snacks

Fresh snacks include fruits, vegetables, and dairy. They’re usually low in fat and sugar, and high in nutrients.

Packaged & Convenience Snacks

Packaged snacks are ready to eat and easy to carry. Some can be healthy, but many are high in sugar, salt, or fat.

Discretionary Foods: Not-So-Healthy Snacks

Discretionary snacks include crisps, sweets or biscuits. They’re high in sugars, unhealthy fats and offer little nutrition.

Healthy vs Not-So-Healthy Snacks

Healthy snacks help your body function well and keep energy steady. Discretionary snacks can lead to tiredness or weight gain.

Smart Snacking Strategies

Plan snacks ahead, include food groups, watch portion sizes, and read labels to choose healthier options.

Activity: Snack Sorting

Sort foods into healthy, convenience, packaged or discretionary snack groups. Discuss why you made your choices.

Reflect: Your Snacking Habits

Think about your last three snacks. Would you classify them as healthy or discretionary? How could you improve your choices?

Key Takeaways

Healthy snacks support your energy and nutrition. Make smart choices by classifying snacks and choosing fresh options when possible.

Thank You! What Will You Snack On Next?

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.