Do you live in the fast lane? For nutritious eating, let snacking work for you. Think of snacks as mini-meals that complement your other food choices for the day. In fact, snacks can fill in nutrition gaps when you eat meals on the run. So be prepared. Stock your kitchen with a variety of quick, food group snacks.

Snack Around The Australian Guide To Healthy Eating

You’re sure to find snacks that will work for you in each of The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, five food groups. In fact, all kinds of foods, including small amounts from the smaller sections, make snacking enjoyable! Each of the five food groups is important for certain nutrients. (Check the Nutritional Information panel for nutrient information.)

Grain Group… carbohydrates (an important source of energy), some B vitamins – including folate (especially important for women during their child-bearing years) – and fibre from whole-grain foods
Try: ready-to-eat cereal, crackers, cereal bars, bagels, bread sticks, tortillas

Vegetable and Legume Group… beta carotene (which forms vitamin A), vitamin C, folate and fibre
Try: raw vegies (carrots, broccoli, capsicum, cherry tomatoes), vegetable juice

Fruit Group… vitamin C, beta carotene, folate and (with edible skins) fibre too
Try: berries, apple or pear wedges, mandarine / tangelo segments, banana, dried fruit (plums, apricots, raisins), fruit juice

Milk Group… for protein and bone-building calcium
Try: cheese slices or cubes, yoghurt, milk (pudding, ice cream, frozen yoghurt)

Lean meat, poultry, Fish, Dry Legumes, Eggs, and Nuts Group… for protein and iron
Try: nuts, peanut butter, hard boiled egg, cooked chicken, cold cuts, tuna

Great Snacks… Fun, Handy, Easy To Eat!

For kids - make food group snacks fun, accessible and easy to eat.

• Offer fun-shaped snacks with flavoured yoghurt for dipping.
• Keep a ‘rainbow’ of fruit and raw vegies on hand for a child's easy reach: washed, cut and ready to eat.
• Turn a sandwich into a snack by cutting it into stars, crescents and other fun shapes with baking cutters.

To pack-and-go - Tuck snacks in a backpack or briefcase for after school, before a workout, or wherever your busy life takes you!

• Freeze juice or fruit drink cartons – great to carry with other chilled snacks (raw vegies, fruit, cheese, yoghurt).
• Check your supermarket shelves single-serving snacks: pudding, cheese and cereal bars.
• Create a crunchy snack in a sealable plastic bag: mix nuts, cereal and dried fruit.

For fun and flavour -

• Make a quick tortilla roll: roll deli/wafer thin meat or reduced-fat cheese and salsa in a wheat tortilla. Tastes great cold or ‘microwaved’ warm!
• Mix a quick dip to enjoy with raw vegies: blend low-fat cottage cheese with a bit of salad dressing or stir grated Parmesan cheese into Italian dressing.
• Fill an ice cream cone with yoghurt and cut-up fruit.