Health Watch

Healthy Eating: Snacking

Posted: Jun 13, 2012 7:28 PM by Erin Schermele - MTN News
Updated: Jun 13, 2012 8:30 PM

The Cascade County Extension office says that snacking and drinking habits are among the factors contributing to obesity.

Sandee Cardinal, a nutrition educator with the agency, said, "People are picking snacks with a lot of artificial ingredients, with a lot of added fat, sugar and salt, and then they are grabbing a soda to go along with the snack...so a lot of calories...a lot of empty calories."

One of the worst culprits in people's diets is soda, which Cardinal says is a big factor in childhood obesity.

If a person drinks one soda a day for a week, that adds up to two and a half cups of sugar; if they do that every day for a year, it makes for an extra 70 pounds of sugar a year.

Even when convenience is the only option, Cardinal says there are healthy choices.

She says pairing whole grains with protein will keep blood sugar levels steady, and keep you feeling full longer.