• Snacking can be a healthy part of your weight control program. The healthiest snacks are very low in fat and get most of their calories from carbohydrates.
• Fruits, including dried fruits, are a terrific snack anytime.
• Sugar is less of a problem than fats in foods. But when sugar lures you to cookies or cakes, the fat they hold really can be fattening.
• The best snacks omit animal products and keep vegetable oils to a bare minimum.
• Snacks made from whole grains, such as whole-grain toast, are preferable to refined grains, which have the fiber removed.
• Your natural hunger and satiety cues will help you. Even though the snacks in this book are great for keeping the pounds off, there is no value in continuing to eat when you are no longer hungry.
• New products at health food stores make snacking easier and healthier than ever: instant soups, healthy desserts, meatless deli slices, potato chips and tortilla chips that are baked, rather than fried, etc.
• There is no need for diet sodas. The only beverage your body really needs is water, in any of the many forms it comes. Add a twist of lemon for a satisfying thirst-quencher.