Beware of high fat snacks

New Zealand registered dietitian Alison Pask explains what many of us already suspect. It is incredibly easy to consume a large number of calories simply by nibbling snacks throughout an entire evening.

Did you know.... A big bag of chips has as many as 13 and a half teaspoons (67g) of fat.

Beware of the fat

It's no surprise that snack food is often high in fat. Remember, fat gives food flavour.

So foods high in fat are often tasty and tempting. We need to retrain our taste buds to enjoy snacks with less fat.

Did you know ….

Some crackers can be high in fat. You may be surprised to see some crackers contain around 27% fat. Always read the nutrition information panel and aim to choose a cracker with less than 10g fat per 100g.
Avocado is high in monounsaturated fat which is friendlier to your heart but still contains around 26% fat. It is therefore high in energy (calories). If you are trying to control your weight, limit avocado based dips and spreads to small quantities, for example, 1-2 tablespoons.
Read the labels on dips to determine the fat content of each variety and flavour, as they can vary significantly. As an example, 'Lisa's Little Dips' vary in fat content from 5.3g fat per 100g for Haricot Hummus and Coriander, to up to 25g fat per 100g for Spicy Walnut.

Chipped out

Don't be fooled by chippies with healthy sounding names such as 'natural' or 'lite'.

It is useful to remember chips are made from highly processed potatoes. If you eat a lot of chips containing quickly digestible carbohydrate, you may experience high blood glucose.

Healthier alternatives that go the distance

Eat a meal or healthy snack before going out.
Choose small amounts e.g. one tablespoon, of raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds.
Buy nuts in the shell as having to crack them open often slows down consumption.

The host with the most

Try these healthy alternatives at your next social get-together:

A fresh fruit platter served with low fat yoghurt dips
A vegetable platter with low fat dips such as cottage cheese or a tomato salsa
A selection of sandwiches or low fat crackers with low saturated fat fillings such as tomatoes, cucumber, gherkin, olives, hummus, salsa, vegemite, low fat cheeses e.g. cottage or ricotta cheese, lean meat, pickles or relish.
Think about choosing delicious high fibre bread. There is a great selection at most supermarkets.
Plain popcorn, pretzels, or mini low fat muffins make welcome alternatives. See recipe for sweetcorn and chive muffins ...

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