Part of applying healthy nutrition to your life is being realistic. One thing to take into consideration when evaluating ways to have healthier diet is snacking.

It’s normal to get hungry between meals and it’s important to plan snacks in a smart way to keep your diet balanced.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has provided some tips on snacking smart:

•  Snack only when you’re hungry. Skip the urge to nibble when you’re bored, frustrated or stressed.
• Keep portion control in mind. Have a single-serve container of yogurt or put a small serving of nuts in a bowl. Eating directly from a multiple-serving package can lead to overeating
• Plan snacks ahead of time. Keep a variety of nutritious ready-to-eat supplies on hand, such as whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also provided some simple snack ideas that are less than 200 calories:

• One tablespoon peanut butter spread on slices of a medium apple
• Tri-color veggie snack: six baby carrots, 10 sugar snap peas (or green pepper strips), six cherry tomatoes and two tablespoons reduced-fat ranch dressing for dipping
• Banana split: banana sliced length-wise topped with 1/2 cup frozen yogurt and a tablespoon of chopped nuts
• Mini-sandwich: Whole-grain dinner roll with one slice deli turkey, one slice low-fat cheese and mustard

You can see more snack ideas online here.