Study finds snacks can be healthy and budget-friendly
February 7, 2012
Moms pursuing a college degree are often very budget-conscious.
After all, many are depending on grants for parents, scholarships for mothers and other financial aid to help pay their tuition and help their families make ends meet while they're in school.
One of the biggest expenses every parent has to account for is food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a family of four (two adults and two young children) can spend anywhere between $520 and $1,013 per month on average on food.
While it is often easier and cheaper to buy "junk" foods such as chips, cookies and other processed items for snacks, a new study has found that there is a way to keep everyone in your household snacking on healthy foods, without exceeding your budget.
According to HealthDay, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health evaluated the snacks offered to kids at 32 YMCAs in four cities in the U.S. for a period of two years. Each location participated in the Afterschool Food and Fitness Project, which required them to stick to certain standards when it came to snacks, including serving water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, offering whole grains and a fruit or vegetable with each snack and avoiding trans fats.
As expected, they found that snacks that met the standards cost snacks about 50 percent more than those that didn't. However, they also discovered that there are ways to make snacking healthier without spending more money.
For example, serving water with a piece of fruit such as a banana or apple is healthy and cost-effective. Instead of chocolate milk, cheese provides kids with nutrients without the added sugar in chocolate milk. Whole grain foods such as crackers and cereal are also good options when served with water instead of juice. And, fresh carrot and celery sticks are another budget-friendly and healthy snack option.
The Democrat and Chronicle newspaper recently offered some healthy snacking tips for those looking to eat better as well. It suggests swapping nuts or pretzels for chips, trying air-popped popcorn, veggies and hummus or pairing a piece of fruit with a little bit of cheese.
And, while those pre-packaged 100-calorie snack packs you can buy in the grocery store may be convenient, experts say they aren't always the best for you. The Seattle Times reports that consumers should shop for snacks that contain no more than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and less than 10 to 12 grams of sugar, along with some fiber and protein in each serving.
