Snacks are a fact of modern life -- and it’s become an all-day proposition. Twenty years ago, our snacks were generally healthy -- fruit, milk, peanut butter.

But today snacks are the high-sugar, high-fat processed foods out of bag, box or bottle. And because most aren’t filling, do little to take the edge off appetites.

	Make fruits and vegetables the only snack your child is allowed and he or she won't gain weight. Dr. David Domek, pediatric endocrinologist

Other healthy snacks (to be eaten in moderation) are low-fat pretzels and popcorn, diet soft drinks. Nuts are healthy (high-protein, filling) but concentrated sources of fat, so serving size is important.

Proper serving sizes (as defined by the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and food labels) are small compared to the supersized foods and drinks served in restaurants, sold in packages/containers, even served at home.

Here’s a reality check:

Food Groups

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

	1 slice of bread
	1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
	1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

Vegetable

	1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
	1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw
	3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit

	1 medium apple, banana, orange
	1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
	3/4 cup of fruit juice

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese

	1 cup of milk or yogurt
	1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese
	2 ounces of process cheese

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts

	2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish
	1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1 egg counts as 1 oz. of lean meat
	2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 oz. of meat

Serving Sizes for Snacks

	1.25 oz. for chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, dried fruit
	2 oz. cookies or cereal bars
	3 oz. for bakery items including but not limited to pastries, muffins, donuts
	3 fluid oz. for frozen desserts, including but not limited to ice cream
	8 oz. for nonfrozen yogurt
	12 oz. for beverages, excluding water

The food pyramid (currently being revised; new version expected in 2005) requires numerous servings. But remember, the USDA’s idea of a serving is tiny by modern standards.

Isn't 6 to 11 servings of breads and cereals a lot?

It may sound like a lot, but it's really not. For example, a slice of bread is one serving, so a sandwich for lunch would equal two servings. A small bowl of cereal and one slice of toast for breakfast are two more servings. And if you have a cup of rice or pasta at dinner, that's two more servings. A snack of 3 or 4 small plain crackers adds yet another serving. So now you've had 7 servings. It adds up quicker than you think!

Do I need to measure servings?

No. Use servings only as a general guide. For mixed foods, do the best you can to estimate the food group servings of the main ingredients. For example, a generous serving of pizza would count in the grain group (crust), the milk group (cheese), and the vegetable group (tomato); a helping of beef stew would count in the meat group and the vegetable group. Both have some fat -- fat in the cheese on the pizza and in the gravy from the stew, if it's made from meat drippings.

Since lifestyles short on boundaries seems to be at the root of overeating, setting some is a good place to begin. Such as:

	Wear a belt. (A personal, literal boundary)
	Eat only in the kitchen or dining room.
	Do not eat or drink while watching TV.
	Take time to learn and teach proper portion sizes.
	Don’t assume any given package or container holds just a single serving. Read the fine print to identify the number of servings inside. Often, you’ll see you’re holding 2.5 servings. Which means if you eat it all, you need to multiply calories by 2.5, fat by 2.5, etc. This one trips up many an unsuspecting body.
	After dinner, hang a "kitchen closed" sign on the door to ward off snackers. Encourage kids to brush their teeth instead.
	Brush your teeth right after meals to discourage returning to snack.

Snacks and sugary drinks have overtaken many kitchens and pantry shelves. It can be fun and very eye-opening to tackle together (and set boundaries with what you’ve learned).

Make it a family project to scour shelves for empty calories.

Given the variable quality of much school cafeteria fare, INTEGRIS’ child obesity physicians team likes to recommend packing kids’ lunches (to have the best shot at having them avoid the junk in most lunch rooms.)

Dr. Domek’s Lunch Box Rx: 

	1/2 sandwich
	Vegetable
	Fresh fruit
	Diet drink or water (not 100% juice, juice drinks, Gatorade or “sports drinks,” because all are loaded with empty calories)

Dr. Domek’s definition of snacks is “fresh fruits and veggies” ( period.  It’s impossible to gain weight on these vs. chips.  Call them “Power Snacks.”

Serve or pack “more green than white” ( i.e., fewer potatoes, rice, pasta and bread, more veggies.

Encourage drinking milk, but make it 1% or skim.

FAT-REDUCING PRACTICES

1. Drain grease from browned meat
2. Use non-stick spray or pan liners instead of grease or oil
3. Spoon solid fat from chilled meat or poultry broth
4. Use skim, low-fat, or nonfat dry milk instead of whole milk
5. Trim fat from meat or use lean meat
6. Skim fat off warm broth, soup, stew, or gravy
7. Steam or bake vegetables
8. Prepare vegetables without butter, margarine, or creamy sauce
9. Rinse grease from browned meat
10. Remove skin from poultry or use skinless poultry
11. Use part-skim or low-fat cheese instead of regular cheese
12. Use vegetable oil instead of shortening, butter, or margarine
13. Roast meat or poultry on a rack so fat would drain
14. Reduce fats and oils in recipes or use low-fat recipes