Snacks & Appetizers Text 
Written by Heather Csikos, 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction	2
Describing & Evaluating Your Products	3
Measuring Ingredients	4
Cooking Terms	5
Conducting A Survey	6
What is a Nutritious Snack?	7
Selecting Snacks & Appetizers	8
Nutrition Facts of Some Common Snack Foods	9
Homemade Recipes vs. Store Bought Items	10
Sodium	12
Sugar	13
Fat	14
Fibre	15
Summary of Healthy Snack Choices	16

INTRODUCTION

Snacks are an integral part of your daily diet.  For some people, i.e. diabetics, high performance athletes and children, snacks are essential to their daily nutritional needs and well being.  A snack is defined as a small amount of food eaten between meals. It temporarily satisfies your hunger, provides a brief supply of energy for the body and is often eaten purely for enjoyment of taste.  An appetizer on the other hand is defined as a light food served before a meal in order to stimulate the appetite. 

Often you decide what to have for a snack.  How do you make this decision?  Do you consider if the snack is healthy, whether it tastes good, if it will best satisfy your hunger?  Is your decision based on what your parents serve you for snacks, what your friends also like to eat, what’s available in the house, what they were eating on TV, what you are craving or the cost? 

Historians, ethnologists and sociologists emphasize the fact that snacking has a long history, going back to prehistorical times.  It differs according to different cultures.  Thus we currently find societies in which eating patterns totally exclude meals at fixed times and eaten in the company of others (Tonga Islands) and others where snacking coexists with structured meals (eating outside of meals, at any time, is known in Vietnam as "an choi," i.e., "eating to have fun").  It is especially widespread throughout southeast Asia when conditions permit it.  Snacking may be found in Mediterranean civilizations, for example tapas in Spain or mezzés in the Near East and in North Africa: small portions of various hors d'oeuvres, served with a cocktail, separated from the meal by an interval of time.  Snacking is also widely practiced in North America.

In developed societies, snacking goes hand in hand with economic development, overabundance of food, the continuous availability of food and its decreased cost.  It also accompanies changes in lifestyle, an increase in food eaten outside the home, as well as profound changes in cultural, moral and identity values and standards.  Snacking is not a new fad: rather it is the type of snack foods eaten (very tasty [more salt and sugar], with high energy value [more sugar and fat]) and their convenience, which are new.  Finally, snacking can reflect uneasiness and become more source of guilt as the "health concern" associated with the diet increases and generates standards (which are often variable...)   

What then are the concerns about snacking?  
•	Not including them as part of your daily intake of food and therefore, eating too much, 
•	Eating too many non-nutritious snacks and replacing nutritious meals with non-nutritious snacks.

Many common snack foods are high in fat, sugar and sodium. If these foods are used for snacks frequently, they can affect our health.

DESCRIBING & EVALUATING YOUR PRODUCTS 

Use the following terms to help you describe and evaluate your food products.

APPEARANCE
Consider shape, colour and presentation:

Shape:  round, oval, wedge, rectangular, symmetrical, bulges, rounded on top, peaked, lopsided, well shaped, level top, irregular

Colour:  Browned, creamy white, yellow, of colour, grey, streaky, golden brown, spotty, red, green, orange, blue

Presentation:  neatly arranged, carelessly arranged, appropriately or inappropriately displayed; small or large proportion

Evaluation of Appearance – Products should be appropriate in shape, pleasing and appropriate in colour and neatly displayed and in proportion on the plate

TEXTURE

Crunchy, smooth, creamy, tough, tender, crumbly, soggy, crispy, soft, hard, moist, lumpy, gooey, fine, elastic, velvety, flaky

Evaluation of Texture – Products should be appropriate to the ingredients used:  not too soft or hard

FLAVOUR

Mild, strong, spicy, delicate, sweet, salty, sour, bitter, nutlike, unpleasant, flat, pleasant, characteristic of an ingredient/spice, i.e. chocolate, tomato

Evaluation of Flavour – Products should be pleasing in flavour, characteristic of the ingredients used and well seasoned.

MEASURING INGREDIENTS	
Quality products result from accurate measuring.  After many years of experience, cooks become expert at substituting and varying amounts and types of ingredients.

Measuring Equipment

Almost all ingredients in Canada are measured by volume.  In Canada recipes are written using metric and imperial measuring units.  Always use the type of measure that the recipe uses, converting units may result in a poor quality product.

Measuring utensils for dry ingredients are divided so that the full measure is level with the top edge.  Liquid measures leave a space to avoid spilling.

How To Measure

Liquid Ingredients
1.	Place the liquid measuring cup on a level surface and pour the liquid to the required mark.
2.	Check the measurement by lowering your head and checking at eye level.

Dry Ingredients
Use standard dry measuring utensils that have the full measure right at the rim for easy leveling off.  

Flour - 	stir the flour in the container, heap the flour into the measure, level off excess with a straight - edged knife or spatula.

Sugar  
Granulated (white or table) - overfill measure, level.
Icing (confectioners' or powder) - sift if necessary to remove lumps, gently heap into the measure, level.  
Brown - press into the dry measure, level using a straight-edged utensil.

Solid Fat
Softened - pack into the dry measure, level
Firm, use the Water Displacement method of measuring
1.	Subtract the amount of fat needed from 500 mL (i.e. 500 mL - 200 mL).
2.	Fill the measure to the number calculated in #1 (300 mL).
3.	Add fat until the water level is even with the top measurement line (500 mL).  
All fat should be immersed under the water.
4.	Pour out the water.

Other dry ingredients - Shredded cheese, chopped nuts and fruit, coarse breadcrumbs can be packed lightly when measuring.

COOKING TERMS										 
Mixing Terms

beat:  To make a mixture smooth either by using a brisk over and over motion with a spoon or a wire whisk or by using a rotary motion with an electric mixer.

blend:  To combine two or more ingredients until they are soft and smooth.

cream:  To soften a fat with a spoon or mixer, either before or while mixing it with another food, usually sugar.

cut in:  To distribute solid fat into small pieces evenly through dry ingredients, using two knives, a fork or a pastry blender in a cutting motion.

fold:  To blend delicate ingredients gently by using two motions, one to cut vertically 
through the mixture usually with a rubber spatula and the other to turn the mixture over onto itself by sliding the rubber spatula across the bottom of the mixing bowl, bringing it up the side and folding over on the top.

knead:  To work a dough with your hands using first, a pressing motion and then a 
folding motion.

mix:  To combine ingredients in any way that causes a distribution.

stir:  To mix ingredients with a circular motion in order to blend them or make a 
uniform consistency.

whip:  To beat rapidly in order to incorporate air and increase volume of the mixture.  
Foods most often whipped are egg whites, cream and gelatin dishes.

Cutting Terms

chop:  To cut with up and down motion into small pieces, fine or coarse, with a sharp 
knife or other tool.

core:  To cut out the centre part, as to core an apple.

grate:  To make into small particles by rubbing over a rough surface, such as a grater.

pare:  To cut off the outside covering, as of a potato or apple.

peel:  To strip off the outside covering.  Peeling may be done with the fingers.

CONDUCTING A SURVEY

Demographics are population characteristics such as gender, race, age, income, level of education and more. Demographics are primarily used in economic and marketing research

When conducting a survey you need to be able to make conclusions about the results of the survey and relate your findings to demographic information from the group that you surveyed.  You need to clearly define the purpose of your survey and construct questions that relate to the purpose of your survey and allow you to make supported conclusions.

For a survey on factors that affect snack choices, first review everything you know about these factors and then do some research so that you identify all possible factors that affect what people choose for snacks.  Then, find information that will help you construct the survey. Use the keywords, “writing survey questions” and you will find a wealth of information about what to include in your introduction, how to write and organize your questions and naming your survey.

A Few Tips on Writing Surveys
1.	Make sure that each question establishes demographics or is directly related to the purpose of the survey.  Include 2-3 questions related to demographics.
2.	Use simple direct questions that are easy to understand and not easily misinterpreted.
3.	Provide a meaningful scale that respondents can use to answer your questions – avoid open-ended questions; consider including, don’t know.
4.	Put your questions in a logical order.

Survey Introduction
Provide an introduction on the purpose of the survey and how the information will be used, include why it is important for the respondent to complete the survey.

Types of Questions
•	Demographical Questions - This type of questions gives you general information about your survey group that you can sort your results by.  You may want to determine if snacking choices are related to gender, age, school marks, TV watching habits, frequency of eating out, shopping habits or other information. Which demographic information will help you categorize your information?
•	Survey Questions - People would much rather complete Fill in the Blanks, True or False or Multiple Choice rather than Short Answer questions and those types of questions are easier to tally. Ask similar questions but in different ways in order to isolate what your target audience really thinks.

Ordering Questions

Think of all of the information you would like to know and place in a logical order.  For example, start with the demographic questions, then some general questions about snacking habits and then more specific questions about reasons for snacking.

At the end of the survey, thank the participants for their time.

Administering Your Survey
The larger the group that you survey the better chance that you will be able to obtain accurate information about what your survey is trying to find out.

Tallying Your Survey
Use one of your blank surveys to tally the results.  Look for trends on factors, which influence how people choose snacks.  Is there any relationship between the demographic information you gathered and selection of snacks?

WHAT IS A NUTRITIOUS SNACK?

A nutritious snack is one that fits into one of the Four Food Groups of Canada’s Food Guide and is low in sodium, fat and sugar, but high in fibre.

The best way to determine if a snack meets the criteria is to look at the ingredients that make up the snack or check out the nutrition label if the snack is purchased.  The nutrition label has an ingredient list and a Nutrition Facts table with the % Daily Value of each nutrient. 

Ingredient Listing

Packaged foods sold in Canada list the ingredients in the order of the amount used (descending order of quantity).  The amount of any ingredient is based on the weight of an ingredient, not the volume.

Example:  
Ingredients:  whole wheat, wheat bran, sugar, salt, malt, thiamin hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, reduced iron, bht

This means that for this cereal, the ingredient, whole wheat, weighs the most compared to the other ingredients.

Nutrition Facts Box

The nutrient information is based on a specified amount of food. Compare this to the amount you eat.

The amounts of each nutrient listed are the amount in the specified quantity of food.		Nutrition Facts
Per 125 mL (87 g)		The % Daily Value gives a context to the amount of the nutrient in the specified amount of food.  The Daily Values are based on recommendations for healthy eating.  50 –55% of calories from carbohydrate; less than 30% of calories from fat based on a 2000 calorie daily intake.	
		Amount	% Daily Value			
		Calories 80					
		Fat 0.5g		1%			
		  Saturated 0 g
  +Trans 0 g		0%			

The Nutrition Facts table will include this list of Calories and 13 nutrients.		Cholesterol 0 mg					
		Sodium 0 mg		0%			
		Carbohydrates 18g		6%			
		  	Fibre 2 g		8%			
		  	Sugars 2 g					
		Protein 3 g					
		Vitamin A 	2%	Vitamin C	10%			
		Calcium    	0%	Iron	2%			

From: Nutrition Facts Table Health Canada January 2003 Retrieved on July 6, 2006 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2003/2003_01bk1_e.html
It is important to note that not every snack in your daily diet needs to fit the nutritious snack criteria, but that over the day you should balance your snacking so your total snacking fits the general guidelines.

SELECTING SNACKS & APPETIZERS

The concern about too much sodium, too much sugar, too much and the wrong type of fat and too little fibre in your daily diet is related to health concerns.  Sodium and potassium are linked to high blood pressure; sugar is related to tooth decay and obesity; saturated fat and trans fat are linked to heart disease and obesity; and a low fibre diet is related to colon cancer.
Some guidelines for selecting nutritious snack foods:
•	Look for sodium in milligrams (mg).  The % Daily Value will help you understand if this food has a little (5%) or a lot of sodium (more than 20%) – you only need 2400 mg of sodium per day for a 2000 calorie intake.
•	To decide if a snack food that is low in sugar first compare the grams of sugar with the grams of carbohydrate on the Nutrition Facts table and then check the ingredient list for added sugar. Remember that some foods such as fruit and milk products are high in natural sugar.
•	A snack food that meets the fat guidelines is less than 3g per serving and contains little or no trans fat and less than 2.5% saturated fats. 
•	A snack food that is high in fiber contains 6 grams of fiber per serving as listed on the nutrition facts table.
The following are some guidelines to help you select foods for healthy eating. To determine if a food is high in sodium, sugar, fat or fibre take a closer look at the ingredients in the food and the Nutrition Facts on the label.
Nutrient	Homemade Foods	Purchased Foods	
	Read the list of ingredients and if there are large amounts of the following compared to other ingredients then the food is high in that particular nutrient.	The list of ingredients is in descending order of the amount of each ingredient. Therefore, avoid foods that contain the following as the main ingredients.	
Sodium	Salt, seasoned salts, pickles, canned soups, cured meats (ham, bologna, etc.), process cheese, nuts, mustard, relish, ketchup	Salt, monosodium glutamate, sodium, baking soda, baking powder, brine, kelp, or soy sauce 
	
Sugar	Sugar, honey, brown sugar, molasses, syrup	Sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup or anything that ends in "ose" (dextrose, sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose).  Also look for sugar alcohols (words ending in “ol”) such as sorbitol	
Fat	Visible: skin on poultry, bacon, fat on meat
Invisible or Hidden: baked goods, desserts peanut butter, dairy products, potato chips 
Added Fats: margarine, butter, sauces, salad dressings, mayonnaise, sour cream	Shortening, oils, glycerols, glycerides, esters or tallow. Saturated fats: tallow, beef fat, lard, butter, chicken fat, bacon fat, cocoanut or cocoanut oil, hydrogenated fats and oils, cocoa butter, palm or palm kernel oil, powdered whole milk solids	
Fibre	Whole grain ingredients, oats, barley, fruits and vegetables, beans & legumes	Choose foods with 2 grams or more of fibre per serving.  Foods with more than 6 grams are very high sources of fibre.	

NUTRITION FACTS OF SOME COMMON SNACK FOODS

Cadbury Fruit & Nut Bar
Nutrition Facts 
Per 9 squares (43 g)	
Amount	% Daily Value	
Calories 220			
Fat 12g		18%	
  Saturated 6 g
  +Trans 0.1 g		31%	
Cholesterol 26 mg		9%	
Sodium 30 mg		1%	
Carbohydrates 18g		6%	
  	Fibre 1 g		4%	
  	Sugars 25 g			
Protein 4 g			
Vitamin A 	2%	Vitamin C	0%	
Calcium    	8%	Iron	4%	

Potato Chips Salt & Vinegar
Nutrition Facts
Per 36 chips (50 g)	
Amount	% Daily Value	
Calories 240			
Fat 14g		22%	
  Saturated 1g
  +Trans 0.1 g		7%	
Cholesterol 0 mg		9%	
Sodium 890 mg		37%	
Carbohydrates 28g		9%	
  	Fibre  3 g		10%	
  	Sugars 0 g			
Protein 3 g			
Vitamin A 	2%	Vitamin C	0%	
Calcium    	8%	Iron	4%	

Yogourt Astro Bio Best
Nutrition Facts
Per 113 g (1 individual container)	
Amount	% Daily Value	
Calories 110			
Fat 1.5g		2%	
  Saturated .5g
  +Trans 0 g		3%	
Cholesterol 5 mg			
Sodium 65 mg		3%	
Carbohydrates 21g		7%	
  	Fibre  0 g		0%	
  	Sugars 15 g			
Protein 3 g			
Vitamin A 	0%	Vitamin C	0%	
Calcium    	10%	Iron	0%	
Granola Bar Oats & Honey
Nutrition Facts
Per 2 bars	
Amount	% Daily Value	
Calories 220			
Fat 9g		13%	
  Saturated 1g
  +Trans 0.1 g		5%	
Cholesterol 0 mg			
Sodium 135 mg		6%	
Carbohydrates 31g		10%	
  	Fibre  3 g		12%	
  	Sugars 12 g			
Protein 4 g			
Vitamin A 	0%	Vitamin C	0%	
Calcium    	2%	Iron	8%	

Apple Juice Sun-Rype
Nutrition Facts 
Per 250 mL	
Amount	% Daily Value	
Calories 120			
Fat 0g		0%	
  Saturated 0g
  +Trans 0.1 g		0%	
Cholesterol 0 mg			
Sodium 20 mg		1%	
Carbohydrates 30g		10%	
  	Fibre  0 g		0%	
  	Sugars 30 g			
Protein 0.2 g			
Vitamin A 	0%	Vitamin C	150%	
Calcium    	0%	Iron	4%	

French Vanilla Cappuccino 
Tim Horton
Nutrition Facts  Per 300 mL	
Amount	% Daily Value	
Calories 250			
Fat 8g		12%	
  Saturated 7g
  +Trans 0.1 g		36%	
Cholesterol 5 mg			
Sodium 240 mg		10%	
Carbohydrates 5g		2%	
  	Fibre  1 g		0%	
  	Sugars 31 g			
Protein 4 g			
Vitamin A 	0%	Vitamin C	0%	
Calcium    	10%	Iron	2%	

HOMEMADE RECIPES VS STORE BOUGHT ITEMS

You may want to find out how a favourite homemade recipe compares with a purchased snack to determine which item better fits the criteria for a nutritious snack.  Because Nutrition Facts tables now appear on every label, looking up the nutrient values of your ingredients will allow you to compare the two products.

1.	For your homemade recipe, list the ingredients and find the amount of each nutrient present using a nutrient data analysis program or Nutrient Value of Some Common Foods. For example, Homemade Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients	Amount	Calories (kcal)	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbohydrate(g)	Fibre (g)	Protein	
Sugar	15 mL	50	0	13	0	0	13	0	0	
1 % milk	250 mL	110	2.5	1.5	10	120	12	0	9	
Frozen strawberries, uns 	250 mL	55	0	0	0	3	14	3.1	2	
Vanilla ice cream, 10% BF	125 mL	142	8	5	31	61	17	0	3	
Total	625 mL	357	10.5	19.5	41	184	56	3.1	14	
Per Serving	375 mL	178	5	10	20	92	28	1.5	7	

2.	Find the nutrient composition of a purchased comparison such as Starbuck’s Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino.

Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino  (Tall)
Starbucks
Nutrition Facts  Per 375 mL	
Amount	% Daily Value	
Calories 410			
Fat 11g		16%	
  Saturated 6 g
  +Trans 0 g		30%	
Cholesterol 40 mg			
Sodium 240 mg		10%	
Carbohydrates 68g		22%	
  	Fibre 0 g		0%	
  	Sugars 59 g			
Protein 9 g			
Vitamin A 	6%	Vitamin C	30%	
Calcium    	30%	Iron	0%	

Homemade Recipes vs. Store Bought Items continued, p 2.

3.	Compare the two products based on how well they meet the criteria for a nutritious snack.
 – Doesn’t meet the criteria
 – Almost meets the criteria
 – Meets the criteria

Criteria for Nutritious Snacks	Homemade Strawberry Smoothie	Meets Criteria	Starbuck’s Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino	Meets Criteria	
Low Fat – less than 3 g total fat per serving; less than 2.5% saturated fat.	5 g per serving 
no saturated fats		11 g per serving 30% saturated fats		
Low Sugar – no sugar listed on the ingredient list	Contains sugar		Ingredient list is not available, but 59g of sugar is present 		
Low Sodium – you only need 2400 mg per day, use the Daily Value to determine how much the food provides.	92mg ~ 4%		240mg which is 10%		
High Fibre – 6 g per serving	1.5 g		0 g		

Neither product meets all of the criteria for a nutritious snack.  The homemade smoothie is much closer than the Starbuck’s product.  When choosing snacks that do not meet the nutritional criteria – it is important that you balance this choice with the rest of your food intake for the day.  For example if you choose the Homemade Smoothie, your other snack selections should be low in sugar and high in fibre.  If you choose the Starbucks smoothie, your other snack selections should be low in fat, low in sugar, low in sodium and high in fibre. 

4.	Consider altering the ingredients to make the choice fit the criteria.

Homemade
You can also change the ingredients in your homemade smoothie:  removing the sugar will make it a low sugar product; using low fat yogurt will lower the fat content and adding more fruit will increase the fibre content.

Starbucks
You can ask for your smoothie without whip cream – this would reduce the fat content so much that it would fit the low fat criteria (2 g per serving).

SODIUM

What Is Sodium?

Sodium is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Na (Natrium in Latin) and atomic number 11.  It is always found as a compound with other elements in nature, such as sodium chloride (NaCl), which is common salt.

Why Does Our Body Need Sodium?

Sodium is the primary electrolyte that regulates body fluids. Sodium is essential for hydration because this mineral pumps water into the cell. In turn, potassium pumps the by-products of cellular processes out of the cell, eventually eliminating these "wastes" from the body. 

Food Sources of Sodium

Common dietary sources of sodium are often processed food to which salt is added during preparation, such as cheeses, soups, pickles and pretzels. Additionally, processed, commercially prepared or restaurant foods are generally high in sodium.

Sodium Concerns

Excessive consumption of sodium on a regular basis is often associated with hypertension (high blood pressure) and edema (retention of water under the skin). 

To Reduce Sodium Intake

•	Do not use salt at the table 
•	Reduce the salt used in food preparation. Try 1/2 teaspoon when recipes call for 1 teaspoon. Many cakes and desserts can be prepared without adding salt. 
•	Use herbs and spices for flavoring meats and vegetables instead of salt. 
•	Avoid salty foods such as processed meat and fish, pickles, soy sauce, salted nuts, chips and other snack foods.

SUGAR

What is Sugar?

Sugars are a major form of carbohydrate and are found in probably all green plants. They occur in significant amounts in most fruits and vegetables. There are three main simple sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose. Sucrose (table sugar) is a combination of fructose and glucose and the body quickly breaks it down into these separate substances. 

Why Does Our Body Need Sugar?

All sugars and starches are broken down and used by the body as glucose, which is the body's primary energy source.  Every activity undertaken by you requires energy. The main sources of energy are carbohydrates (sugars and starches), fats and proteins. Therefore your body doesn’t have to consume sugar it can produce it by breaking down starch.

Food Sources Of Sugar

Simple Carbohydrates (sugar)
•	sucrose – called ‘sugar’
•	lactose - present in milk, the only carbohydrate from an animal 
•	fructose - present in fruit

Complex Carbohydrates (starch)
•	grains (rice, oats, wheat, barley, corn) and 
•	vegetables and whole fruits
•	legumes (chick peas, black-eyed peas, lentils, as well as lima, kidney, pinto, soy, and black beans

Sugar Concerns

High intakes of simple sugars from refined sources (e.g., baked goods), instead of from natural sources such as fruits, are believed to contribute to increased risk of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. High sugar diets are associated with dental caries (tooth decay). 

FAT

What is Fat?

There are several types of fat:

Triglyceride is the chemical name for fat. A fat molecule is made up of 1 glycerol molecule and 3 fatty acids.  Calories ingested in a meal and not used immediately by tissues are converted to triglycerides and transported to fat cells to be stored.  Hormones regulate the release of the triglycerides from fat tissue so they meet the body’s needs for energy between meals. 
The characteristics of a fat are determined by the type of fatty acids it contains, particularly, how many and how the hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon atoms.  

•	

saturated

unsaturated

trans

Saturated fatty acids  - the carbon atom has all of the hydrogen that it can hold.  These fats raise blood cholesterol more than anything else in the diet.  Saturated fats usually are solid at room temperature.  They are found in animal products such as lard, meat, poultry, butter and cheese. Palm oil, coconut oil and hard margarines made from hydrogenated vegetable oils are mostly saturated fats.
   
•	Trans fatty acids – formed by the process of hydrogenation, this molecule has one double bond, but some of the hydrogen atoms are added on opposite side of the molecule.

•	Monounsaturated fatty acids have room for two more hydrogen atoms (1 double bond).  They are in canola, olive and peanut oil and are a good replacement for saturated fats.  They lower blood cholesterol levels.

•	Polyunsaturated fatty acids contain at least 2 double bonds; so can accommodate 4 more hydrogen atoms.  These fats are liquid at room temperature and help lower the level of cholesterol in the blood.  They are found in corn, soybean sunflower, safflower and sesame oils.  Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are in this group and are found in fish – salmon, sardines, swordfish, trout  and tuna.  Foods that contain fat mostly as polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fats are good choices. 

During food processing, fats may undergo a chemical process called hydrogenation. In this process, hydrogen is added to unsaturated fatty acids to make them more saturated and stable, i.e. margarine is hydrogenated in order to make it solid at room temperature. Other foods use hydrogenated fats so that they have a longer shelf life, i.e. commercial baking. 

Why Does Our Body Need Fat?

Fats provide a concentrated source of energy (9calories / gram), compared to carbohydrates and protein (4 calories per gram).  
The essential fatty acid, linoleic acid (omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids) is essential for body functions and can only be obtained by eating foods containing fats, which contain it. Fats carry fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K plus carotenoids) and are needed for their absorption.  
You should try to consume no more than 30% of your daily calories from fat.  

Food Sources of Fat

Trans Fats – margarine, shortening, commercial baked goods and fried fast foods.  

Saturated Fats - beef, beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses and other dairy products made from whole milk, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil (often called tropical oils), and cocoa butter.

Polyunsaturated fats - safflower, sesame and sunflower seeds, corn and soybeans, many nuts and seeds, and their oils. 

Omega 3 Fatty Acid sources are flaxseed (linseed) oil, canola oil, walnuts and walnut oil, and dark green leafy vegetables.  Oily fish are the best source: herring, mackerel, sardines, pilchards, salmon, and trout as well as fortified foods such as eggs.

Monounsaturated fats - canola, olive and peanut oils, and avocados

Fat Concerns

Scientific evidence has shown that dietary trans fats can increase your risk of developing heart disease.  High fat intake contributes to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, gall bladder disease and arthritis. Health Canada recommends consuming less than 30% of total calories from fat. The key message is that the overall eating pattern, not individual foods, should be lower in fat.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that is found among the lipids (fats) in the blood stream and in all your body’s cells.  It’s an important part of a healthy body because it is used to make some hormones, insulating nerves, maintaining cell walls and the production of vitamin D and digestive juices.
It can come from two sources: internal which is made by the liver and from external sources which is from the foods you eat.  Foods containing high levels of cholesterol are egg yolks, meats, poultry, shellfish and whole and reduced milk fat.
Cholesterol and other fats can’t dissolve in the blood.  They have to be transported to and from the cells with proteins in packets called lipoproteins.  There are several kinds, but the ones to focus on are low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). 

Low-density lipoproteins is  the major cholesterol carrier in the blood.  These molecules are not packed solid and if too much circulates in the blood, it can slowly deposit on the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain.  Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries.  This condition is known as atherosclerosis. A high level of LDL cholesterol reflects an increased risk of heart disease. That is why LDL cholesterol is called bad cholesterol.

High-density lipoproteins carry 1/3  to ¼ of blood cholesterol. Medical experts think HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body.  HDL cholesterol is known as good cholesterol because a high HDL level seems to protect against heart attack.  A low HDL level = a greater risk of heart attack and may raise stroke risk.

FIBRE

Dietary fiber is a CHO  that your body does not fully digest.  It is found only in plants.  Food sources are whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds.

What is Fibre?

There are two types of fibre:

1.	Insoluble fibre, also called roughage - does not dissolve in water, but holds water and helps to prevent and control bowel problems.

2.	Soluble fibre - dissolves in water to form a gel and may help lower blood cholesterol and control your body’s absorption of sugar.  

Why Does Our Body Need Fibre?

Fibre helps to maintain regular bowel movements and is related to lowering blood cholesterol.

Food Sources of Fibre

Whole grain breads and cereals, dried beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables.

Fibre Concerns

Fibre plays a role in preventing constipation, colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes and intestinal disorders.  A daily intake of 25 - 40 grams per day of dietary fibre is recommended.  If you eat white bread, refined cereals and few fruits and vegetables, 
you are not getting enough fibre.

Increase your fibre intake gradually, i.e. by one serving every 2 days. Drink lots of fluids - as fibre holds fluid.

Make the following substitutes in your diet:
•	Whole grain breads and cereals in place of white bread and refined cereals
•	Fresh fruits and vegetables in place of juice or fruit drinks
•	Salads made from a variety of raw vegetables in place of lettuce salads
•	Baked beans, lentils and split peas, nuts and seeds in place of meat, fish and poultry
•	Popped corn, nuts, seeds, dried fruit in place of potato chips, cheezies and similar snack.
	
SUMMARY OF HEALTHY SNACK CHOICES

Eat plain basic food. Food, as Mother Nature produced it, usually has more nutrients and fibre and less fat, sugar and sodium than the processed counterpart.

Food Group	 Fibre	 Fat	 Sugar	 Sodium	Snack Ideas	
Milk & Milk Products		
•	use skim or 1% milk
•	use low fat cheese and yogurt
	
•	use plain rather than flavoured products	
•	hard cheeses	
milk shakes, smoothies, yogurt, milk, ice cream, cheese, dips and egg nog
	
Meat & Alternates	
•	use legumes - peas, beans and lentils	
•	use lean meats, i.e. those with less marbling
•	trim fat before cooking
•	bake and broil instead of fry
		
•	use fresh meat rather than processed
•	use  canned fish without salt added	
meat cubes, ½ sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, nuts and seeds	
Grain Products	
•	use whole grain products 	
•	plain cookies, sponge and angel food cake instead of pastries and doughnuts
	
•	use uns* cereals		
muffins, crackers, ½ sandwiches, popcorn	
Vegetable and Fruit	
•	potato with skin
•	dried fruits
•	berries
	
•	use fruits and vegetables in their lowest form:  
•	apple instead of apple pie 
	
•	use fresh fruit instead of dried
•	use uns* juices 
		
fruit, juice, fruit and cheese kabobs, raw veggies, vegetable juices	
*unsweetened