CULLMAN — Photo 617 goes with this article





Got the Munchies? How to Choose Healthy Snacks



When you get hungry for a healthy snack, where do you turn? Some vending machines contain a few healthy selections like juices, fruit or yogurt. You can bring your own granola bars, fruit, sunflower seeds or vegetables, like raw carrots, celery or radishes with you to the office. This will satisfy that need for something crunchy, while providing you with some of the five servings of fruits and vegetables that you need daily.

Dark chocolate has been found to contribute to improved cardiovascular health. Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same good-for-you category as green tea and blueberries. It is full of natural plant nutrients.

Most of the studies to date highlight dark chocolate's health values because it has the highest percentage of cocoa solids, therefore more flavanol antioxidants, and other compounds found in fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. On-going studies point to a promising connection between dark chocolate and cardiovascular disease, premature aging and cancer. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have calories, though!

Other nutritious snacks are unsalted sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, dried fruits, and nuts. For a cold treat, try freezing bananas, grapes, or blueberries. When the munchies hit, just go to the fridge and pop a few of these nutritious snacks in you mouth. You’ll be surprised how good they are.

There are lots of protien drinks, flavored waters, and juices on the market. They are much more healthy than sugar loaded soft drinks. Green tea, or other varities of tea can be sweetened with honey, which is considered nature’s perfect food. In the south, we are so accustomed to sweet, ice-cold tea, that hot tea may sound unsavory. Actually, people have been using it for years as a restorative and medicinal drink. Add a little lemon, sweeten it with honey — and you have the perfect drink for curling up with a good book and relaxing after a long day. Honey is also the main ingredient for several healthy deserts and snacks that you can make at home.

Summer time is the season for lots of formal and informal get-togethers, like family reunions, weddings or just kicking back by the pool with your best buddies. Often the foods that fill picnic tables, coolers, and formal banquet tables are not necessarily the most nutritious fare. Wedding cake is certainly not on the list of approved foods for diabetics! If you are headed to the beach or to a picnic, instead of hot dogs, (which are highly processed and full of salt) try choosing lean hamburger or grilled chicken. They can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the cooler until time to eat. Instead of chips, try peanuts, or better yet, stick to fruit. Cut up several different types, pineapple, honeydew melon, cantaloupe or watermelon, put them into a plastic container and pop them into the cooler along with lots of bottled water.

Family reunions are normally held outside in parks and backyards. All the aunts try to out-do themselves by making the cheesest casseroles, sweetest pies, salt-filled dips and biggest sandwiches. For the weak dieter, this spells disaster! Here is what you do; use a saucer instead of a plate, you can’t load it with as many goodies. Head for the vegetables first, then add just a little bit of Aunt Grace’s mac and cheese, and a pinch of your grandmother’s baked ham. Make your way to the table and eat slowly, while visiting with your cousins. Afterward, suggest a game of volleyball. Drink plenty of water, that will fill you up. Stick to fruit, like watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew melon for desert.

Weddings are tough. All caterers are proud of their confectonary concoctions, and punch is normally loaded with sugar. Once again, head for the fruit first. Then choose vegetables that you really like, so that you won’t be tempted to dunk them into any mayonnaise/sour cream based dips. The next hurdle you’ll come to on the lavish buffet is likely to be the meat and cheese tray. One or two small cheese cubes won’t hurt you, but cheese, like the sliced deli meats, will probably be highly processed, so move on to the shrimp, or the nuts. Shrimp, which does contain colestrol, is considered a whole food, much better nutritionally than those processed selections. Nuts are whole foods, too, but if they are salted, just take a few. What to drink? Pass on the punch, go straight for the lemon-water. Punch is always high in sugar, unless the bride and groom requested a sugar-free alturnative. There might be a varitety of soft-drinks, some of which may even be sugar-free. One per day is the reccommended allowance for nutritionally-conscious people, so have one if you must, but water is still the better choice.

Mingle-talking is a good way to avoid eating. Dance, working off some of those calories you just couldn’t resist. You can still have a good time and be true to your nutritional resolutions.



Strawberry Fluff

This desert is made with all sugar-free ingredients, which can be found in any grocery store.

1 large container of sugar-free Cool-Whip

1 large box of sugar-free Jell-O ( orange or strawberry)

1 package of sugar-free wafer cookies, ( strawberry and/or vanilla)

Fresh strawberries or mandarin oranges slices, optional

Mix dry Jell-O into Cool Whip, making sure all is incorporated. Place into fluted goblets or fancy fruit bowls. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready to serve, place one wafer cookie into each dish. Top with sliced strawberries or mandarin orange slices if desired.

This is pretty, as well as being a wonderful sugar-free alternative for people who are diabetic. All your guests will enjoy it, and so will you.



Muesli

Mix plain yogurt with oats — use twice as much yogurt as oats. Add a little extra milk or juice to give it the desired texture. Add just a hint of vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup. Add dried fruit and let it sit overnight of for a few hours in the refrigerator. When ready to eat the muesli, add toasted nuts and fresh fruit.  Delicious!

Contributed by Beth Hayes of Birdsong Farm in Fairview