Most people have a certain snack they like or crave such as chocolate, crisps, sugary sweets, cake etc. Reducing the intake of these items or cutting them out altogether can have a big impact on the amount of calories you consume.

Snacks are generally small and light in size and you need to eat a lot of them to feel full. The problem with this is that even one serving or portion of the snack can take you close or exceed your guideline daily allowance (GDA) for things like sugar, salt, fat, calories etc.

Food labels can be misleading in regards to the totals and percentages of your GDA shown in the tables and ‘traffic light’ system on the packaging.

Snacks should be a way of helping you achieve your 5 fruit and veg a day rather then quick and easy boredom treats which even though they taste good do not have much in the way of nutritional value, just lots of sugary calories which if aren’t burnt off during the day will become stored as fat cells.

Low glycemic index (low GI) snacks that have complex carbohydrates in them which take the body a long time to break down and give a slow release of energy throughout the day are a lot better for you.