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Ministry Of Home Agriculture Economics and Food Branch Ontario Kan Llrlll Hon LDrtInC Honduran» Deputy Minialar Minister HOW’S YOUR SNACK SENSE Unlike the old song, good snacking doesn't always come naturally: yet the habit has almost become an automatic reaction in today's busy life. That is why it is important to stop and examine the effects of snacking on your own health and the health of your family. Do you know whether your habit is good or bad? For many of us, eating between meals satisfies two needs; hunger (real or imagined) and diversion. Nibbling and munching have become synonymous with enjoyment. For young people, snacking is universal, at home, at school and at play. Some nutritionists believe it is wise to spread the food you eat throughout the day. They advocate, especially for older people with poor appetites, five or six small meals each day, instead of the usual three larger ones. Meals eaten more often provide a continuous supply of energy and nutrients without overloading the digestive system at any one time. Snacks may be very useful for those who have poor appetites, or for those who are weight con- scious, if the foods taken are low in calories. When is a snack considered good? When it â€" looks and tastes good, with eye appeal is easyâ€"toâ€"eat and prepare satisfies hunger without leaving a person feeling stuffed is low in sugar and salt is packed with good nutrition Lifetime eating habits develop in childhood. If you still have children at home, make sure they get off to a good start by encouraging them to enjoy the natural taste of nutritious foods. Don’t tempt their taste buds with overly Good Snacks sweetened. highly salted or artificially flavored Snack foods. Ontario produces an abundance of wonderful foods. Start your children off in the right direttion by using Ontario products. We all know about. and many have experien ad‘ [he middle-aged spread. Are you fighting the battiu or the bulge:l Canadians are often overweight; some .ldeed to the extent that diabetes, high blood pres} re and heart disease are just around the corner, if the} “em already arrived. In most cases, these diseases >3 the direct result of bad eating habits, of which Flit‘ise between-meal snacking is one of the worst. Snacking is bad if, as frequently happens, JUges tooth decay. Although most damage occurs dt g the more cavity~prone years of growth and devel lent, tooth decay can strike at any age. Unfortunatu ance the damage is done, its effects stay with one i .ne'; entire life. Poor eating habits, including the gem use of sweets between meals and before bed i are especially harmful. Sugar is often called the cavity culprit by dent; The decay effect of foods containing sugar is depend ma combination of â€" ' frequency of intake ' stickiness of food 0 total sugar content of the food. Research has shown that the frequency 0 .igar intake is far more important in causing cavities 1 tin: amount eaten at one time. Each time the tooth 5| ce is exposed to sweets, acid which is harmful to the ih is produced for 20â€"30 minutes. Highly retentive c icky forms of sugar are more damaging than solid at; These sticky products cling to the teeth, giving i eria more time to produce the acids which attack th' \Olh enamel. The chart below separates foods into the fol nod groups, according to Canada's Food Guide. We foods are good for snacks, others are better with nis. Better with Meals“ (when eaten without adding sugar) Milk Group milk, whole, 2_%, skim or buttermilk; all chocolate milk & drinks; malts; Shaka, cheese including cottage cheese; plain ice cream; sweet or fruited yogurt; p15 yogurt; some dips and spreads (see label); dings & custards soups Meat Group meats of all kinds including luncheon ~ - . th ars E meats & leftovers; nuts of all kinds sun- i3t$i);%1§§tti§c%$§§r§:tsm sug ( flower & pumpkin seeds; hard cooked eggs; smoked meats; some bean dips and peanut butters (see label); egg nog Fruit 3: all raw, fresh, frozen or waterpack fruits sweetened canned goods, juices or drinl. Vegetable or vegetables or their juices prepared dried fruits, e.g. raisins Group Without addition of sugar (see label) Bread & Cereal popcorn, pizza, cheese popcorn breads and cereals of all kinds; cracker Gl'OlllJ potato chips; pretzels, caramel corn; i» sweet baked goods (cake, cookies. etc.) 'The slow or continua] Sipping. ChEWiflg. sucking or nibbling of these items makes them especially hazardou to dental heaIth. For those of you who didn’t attend the Home Eco- nomics Branch Caloric Countdown Food Forum in your county or district, here is a tasty snack recipe. l6