Snacks can be part of a healthy diet

With a little planning, snacks can be healthy. They can provide nutrients, such as Vitamins A and C, calcium and fiber, without supplying lots of fat or too many calories. These five smart-snack tips can make between-meal eating a valuable part of your family's diet:

• Make snacking a conscious activity. "Over-snacking" is easy to do while watching television or reading a book.

• Eat snack-size portions.

• Keep ready-to-eat snacks such as light microwave popcorn, low-fat pudding cups or dried fruit at home and at work.

• Snack when you're hungry rather than when you're bored, frustrated or stressed.

• Choose snacks that add fruits, vegetables, low fat milk and whole grains to your diet. A serving of our Corn and Tomato Salsa is a delicious way to sneak a vegetable serving into your eating plan.

For traditional snack foods such as chips, use the following guidelines to make a healthier choice:

Serving size: Try to keep portion size to 1 ounce.

Calories: No more than 100 to 200 calories.

Total fat: 3 grams or less.

Saturated fat: 1 gram or less.

Trans fat: 0 grams.

Sodium: 270 milligrams or less.

Cholesterol: 60 milligrams or less.