Secrets of a healthy snack

Eating between meals can help close nutrient gaps, manage blood glucose, support digestion and provide energy boost

- Anna Maltby

Snacking can get a bad rap. But when it is done well, it can be a helpful bridge between meals to manage blood glucose, support digestion and make sure you have the energy and focus you need to get through your day, nutrition experts say.

Snacks can also help to close nutrient gaps by adding diversity to your diet, incorporating things you might not be getting enough of during your typical meals, said dietitian Emily Wilcox Gier, an associate professor in the division of nutritional sciences at Cornell University.

“If we choose our snacks appropriately, we can help meet our goal for vegetables or whole grains,” she said. Smart snacks can also help you increase your intake of fibre, protein and micronutrients.

With that in mind, The New York Times and five nutrition experts teamed up to create this guide to healthy snacking.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD SNACK?