What's the best thing to snack on, that's good for my body+weight. Options

[IzzyGrace]

Fruit is great - badabababa, I'm loving it.
But I'm trying to resist the call of cravings for chocolate and sweets My mom's really stingy on buying snack bars. We tried Weight Watchers ice cream once - it was gone in less than a week. I eat Special K in the morning. Or, rather, I did before our pantry got infested with ants I prefer my cereal without insects, thank you.

[Reidar]

Snacks are bad. Eat complete meals.

"Research tells us that complete digestion and assimilation of one meal takes roughly three to four hours. The digestive process involves a stepwise procedure of various enzymes and gastric juices being introduced as they are needed. As one completes its job, the next comes as the first is dissipated. And so forth until digestion is complete enough for assimilation to occur. However, if one snacks during this process, the original digestive enzymes are forced to enter, thereby negating the effectiveness of the ones already there." -Power: A Scientific Approach

Dark chocolate also has proven benefits. A little bit of chocolate is healthy.

[Trolling]

Snacks are bad. Eat complete meals.

"Research tells us that complete digestion and assimilation of one meal takes roughly three to four hours. The digestive process involves a stepwise procedure of various enzymes and gastric juices being introduced as they are needed. As one completes its job, the next comes as the first is dissipated. And so forth until digestion is complete enough for assimilation to occur. However, if one snacks during this process, the original digestive enzymes are forced to enter, thereby negating the effectiveness of the ones already there." -Power: A Scientific Approach

Dark chocolate also has proven benefits. A little bit of chocolate is healthy.

Snacks are good. I don't know where you heard full meals are better than snacking continuously throughout the day. "Choose healthy snacks

Select foods that satisfy your hunger, supply your body with energy and provide important nutrients. Here are some of your best snack picks:

* Whole grains. Whole-grain snacks are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which give you energy with staying power. Look for items such as low-fat whole-grain crackers, whole-grain pretzels and whole-grain crispbreads.
* Fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness with no fat and only a small number of calories. They also provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.
* Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds provide protein, so you will feel fuller longer. They can be high in fat, but it's mostly monounsaturated, a healthy kind of fat. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, however, so don't eat them in large quantities.
* Low-fat dairy products. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are good sources of calcium and protein, plus many other vitamins and minerals. Dairy products can be high in fat, so choose the low-fat versions. Some yogurts have extra added sugar, so look for low-calorie or "light" varieties.
"

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/HQ01396

"To keep energy levels going — and avoid weight gain — steer clear of foods with lots of simple carbohydrates (sugars) like candy bars or soda. Look for foods that contain complex carbohydrates like whole-grain breads and cereals and combine them with protein-rich snacks such as peanut butter or low-fat yogurt or cheese."

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nu...thy_snacks.html

The biggest problem in America is the type of food we decide to "snack" on. Just stick to healthy alternatives and you will be fine.

I eat like 5-10 snacks a day and eat lighter meals. You do not feel as bloated after a meal plus it makes digestion easier.

[Reidar]

Snacks are good. I don't know where you heard full meals are better than snacking continuously throughout the day.

What do you mean, you "don't know"? I posted a source in the same paragraph. I'll repeat it so you can refute the physiology, this time:

"Research tells us that complete digestion and assimilation of one meal takes roughly three to four hours. The digestive process involves a stepwise procedure of various enzymes and gastric juices being introduced as they are needed. As one completes its job, the next comes as the first is dissipated. And so forth until digestion is complete enough for assimilation to occur. However, if one snacks during this process, the original digestive enzymes are forced to enter, thereby negating the effectiveness of the ones already there." -Power: A Scientific Approach

Complete meals must contain all essential macronutrients in order to prevent proteolysis, which oxidizes protein stores, thereby atrophying muscle mass and increasing adipose tissue percentages.

Dairy products can be high in fat, so choose the low-fat versions. Some yogurts have extra added sugar, so look for low-calorie or "light" varieties.

Fats are metabolically inert. You can eat a bowlful of fat without gaining an ounce. Ever wonder why the Inuit can avoid obesity even though they subsist on whale blubber? The Masai in Africa were almost completely carnivorous, and yet they were all tall, lean and healthy. Their diet was very high in fat, as they drank whole milk and blood and ate meat exclusively.

Your information on grains suggests that you're not quite up to date on the fact that they are high in lectins, protease inhibitors, and phytates. Even the FDA reestablished its food pyramid in 2005 to deemphasize the ratio of grains in comparison to fats - a full thirty years after the Paleo Diet first posited this in 1975.

The much-maligned saturated fats — which Americans are trying to avoid — are not the cause of our modern diseases. In fact, they play many important roles in the body chemistry:

Saturated fatty acids constitute at least 50% of the cell membranes. They are what gives our cells necessary stiffness and integrity.

They play a vital role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.38

They lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates proneness to heart disease.39 They protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins.40

They enhance the immune system.41

They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids. Elongated omega-3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats. 42

Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart, which is why the fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated.43 The heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.

Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids have important antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.
The scientific evidence, honestly evaluated, does not support the assertion that "artery-clogging" saturated fats cause heart disease.44 Actually, evaluation of the fat in artery clogs reveals that only about 26% is saturated. The rest is unsaturated, of which more than half is polyunsaturated.45

41. Kabara, J J, The Pharmacological Effects of Lipids, The American Oil Chemists Society, Champaign, IL, 1978, 1-14; Cohen, L A, et al, J Natl Cancer Inst, 1986, 77:43

42. Garg, M L, et al, FASEB Journal, 1988, 2:4:A852; Oliart Ros, R M, et al, "Meeting Abstracts," AOCS Proceedings, May 1998, 7, Chicago, IL

43. Lawson, L D and F Kummerow, Lipids, 1979, 14:501-503; Garg, M L, Lipids, Apr 1989, 24(4):334-9

44. Ravnskov, U, J Clin Epidemiol, Jun 1998, 51:(6):443-460. See also http://home2.swipnet.se/~w-25775/

45. Felton, C V, et al, Lancet, 1994, 344:1195