Healthy Snacks - What is a healthy snack?
Sasha D'cruz
MYHEALTH MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA
What is a healthy snack?
- Snacking can add vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to the diet.
- It fulfills both nutritional and social needs.
- Snacking time should always be fun and informal and a variety of foods should be incorporated.
Purpose of snacking
- Snacking can add vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to the diet.
- It fulfills both nutritional and social needs.
- Snacking time should always be fun and informal and a variety of foods should be incorporated.
How to choose healthy snacks?
Here are some tips:
- Choose snacks that are low in fat, sugar and salt.
- Try to choose snacks that are high in fibre and complex carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals.
- Plan your whole day’s foods around the food pyramid guideline. This will help balance your snacks and meals.
- Plan snacks ahead of time to avoid grabbing the first thing you see.
- Snack only when you’re hungry, not when you’re bored or anxious.
- Try to limit your snacks to less than 250 kilocalories per snack.
Suggested healthy snacks
Refer to the table below for energy content of various foods :
|
Food
|
Serving Size
|
Energy (kcal)
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Portion
|
Weight (g)
|
|||
|
Fresh fruits and raw vegetables
|
||||
| Apple, green | 1 whole |
114
|
40
|
|
| Apple, red | 1 whole |
128
|
63
|
|
| Banana (Pisang berangan) | 1 medium |
93
|
62
|
|
| Pisang mas | 1 medium |
50
|
38
|
|
| Pisang rastali | 1 small |
43
|
31
|
|
| Date, dried | 1 whole |
12
|
31
|
|
| Duku | 1 whole |
30
|
7
|
|
| Durian | 1 fruit with seed |
38
|
13
|
|
| Grape | 1 whole |
11
|
7
|
|
| Guava | 1 slice, small without skin |
59
|
27
|
|
| Jack fruit (cempedak) | 1 slice, small without skin |
28
|
18
|
|
| Langsat | 1 whole |
14
|
3
|
|
| Lychee | 1 whole |
29
|
11
|
|
| Mango (Mangga) | 1 whole |
232
|
103
|
|
| Mango (Kwini) | 1 whole |
237
|
134
|
|
| Mata kucing | 10 whole medium |
88
|
36
|
|
| Orange (limau manis) | 1 whole medium |
134
|
38
|
|
| Orange, mandarin | 1 whole medium |
116
|
37
|
|
| Papaya | 1 slice without skin, seeds |
159
|
56
|
|
| Papaya, exotica | 1/2 whole, medium |
350
|
126
|
|
| Pear, green | 1 whole, medium |
207
|
133
|
|
| Persimmon | 1 whole, small |
138
|
88
|
|
| Pineapple | 1 slice without skin |
130
|
59
|
|
| Prune | 1 whole |
6
|
13
|
|
| Raisin | ¼ cup |
39
|
117
|
|
| Rambutan | 1 whole |
35
|
10
|
|
| Salak | 1 whole |
89
|
45
|
|
| Sapodilla (ciku) | 1 whole |
65
|
44
|
|
| Waterapple (jambu air) | 1 whole |
52
|
8
|
|
| Watermelon | whole, elongated |
238
|
37
|
|
| Carrot | 1 cup (diced, 0.5 cm cubes) |
108
|
34
|
|
| Cucumber |
136
|
15
|
||
| Peas, green, canned | ½ cup |
92
|
53
|
|
| Tomato | 1 whole, small |
23
|
5
|
|
| Waterchesnut | 1 nut |
26
|
22
|
|
| Yam bean (sengkuang) | 1 slice |
38
|
8
|
|
|
Cereal and cereal product
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biscuit, cream crackers | 1 square piece |
9
|
40
|
|
| Bread, coconut | 1 round bun |
45
|
231
|
|
| Bread, white | 1 slice |
19
|
48
|
|
| Bread, whole meal | 1 square slice |
25
|
60
|
|
| Sandwich, sardine | 1 piece |
28
|
71
|
|
|
Milk and milk products
|
||||
| Milk, cow fresh | 1 cup (250ml) |
256
|
166
|
|
| Milk, UHT, chocolate flavored | 1 small packet (1 cup) |
256
|
174
|
|
| Milk, UHT, low-fat | 1 small packet (1 cup) |
257
|
131
|
|
| Yogurt, low fat | 1 cup (145ml) |
150
|
230
|
|
|
Nut, seeds and products
|
||||
| Almond | 10 nuts |
15
|
81
|
|
| Cashew nut | 10 nuts |
24
|
97
|
|
| Chestnut, Chinese | 1 nut |
9
|
17
|
|
| Peanut/groundnut | ¼ cup without shell |
39
|
209
|
|
| Watermelon seed, dried (kuaci) | ½ cup |
50
|
112
|
|
|
Traditional Malaysian kuih
|
||||
| Dumpling, chicken (pau ayam) | 1 piece |
85
|
203
|
|
| Dumpling, red bean (pau kacang merah) | 1 piece |
80
|
223
|
|
| Spring roll | 1 piece |
51
|
94
|
|
| Bubur kacang merah | 1 bowl medium |
230
|
101
|
|
| Lepat pisang | 1 piece |
93
|
191
|
|
| Puding jagung | 1 piece |
90
|
90
|
|
| Vadai (kacang dal kuning) | 1 piece |
60
|
194
|
|
References :
- Manual Prime and Supportive Messages (1997) National Working Group on Healthy Eating, Ministry of Health.
- Healthful Recipes, The Wise Choice – Volume 1, 2nd Edition (1999) Nutrition Society of Malaysia in Collaboration with Ministry of Health.
| Last reviewed | : | 25 Januari 2008 |
| Writer | : | Norafizah bt. Mohd Nordin |
| Noor Shafiza bt. Mohamad Nor |
