Keep snacking but snack smarter:

Tweet Recent research indicates Americans are snacking more than ever, but you can turn snacking into a healthier habit.

If you feel like chips, cookies, and ice cream make up too big a part of your food pyramid, you’re not alone. A recent study conducted,found that snacking is indeed on the rise among adults in the United States, possibly contributing to the rise in cardiovascular disease, obesity, and glucose intolerance.

THE DETAILS: Based on this recent study’s findings, we’re not only munching often throughout the day, we're also relying on snacks to provide more of our calories. Snacks now make up 24 percent, on average, of our daily energy intake. And that much snacking is not healthy. Snacks should only make up 2 to 15 percent of our day's calories. The problem is, we tend to add snacks to the calories we get from our meals. If the total calories in the diet stayed similar and we just ate six times at smaller amounts each time, that would be fine. Instead, calories from snacks pile onto what we get from the rest of our diet.

Solution? Some easy tricks to control the snacking urge, and some healthy snack ideas for those times when a snack attack is unavoidable:

• Structure your snacking. Swap absent-minded snacking for structured snacking. Create a menu of snacks to choose from and plan specific times to have a snack twice a day between meals, instead of munching on whatever's within reach, out of boredom.

• Walk before munching. When you have an urge to snack, try releasing some stress with some brief exercise instead. Get up and take a short walk to take your mind off of your stress, and burn a few calories in the process.

• Drink plenty of water. Sometimes we feel like we’re hungry, when in reality we can fill up our stomach with water or a low-calorie beverage. After a glass of water you’ll feel less hungry.

• Work your mouth. A big part of the urge to snack is a need to satisfy your chewing fixation. Try sugar-free gum, carrot sticks, or anything low-calorie that’s going to keep you chomping or crunching.

• Keep snacks in one cabinet. If snacks are spread throughout multiple cupboards, and cabinets, you’re more likely to reach for them.

• Choose the right snacks. Sure, there may be times when only the saltiest, fattiest, or sugariest of snacks will do. But with so many healthier options available, it's easy enough to find a better substitute most of the time. Try swapping in whole crackers for chips if you have a salt tooth. Dried or fresh fruit, or Greek yogurt, can be a perfect fix for someone with a sweet tooth. Watch out, though—even healthy snacks can add up in calories if you eat too many, so don’t overdo it on the good stuff!

By using these simple tips, you can avoid over-snacking, and lose weight faster!