Grain Foods for Great Snacks

Grain foods make great snacks because they fill you up and help curb hunger. Plus, they don't come with a lot of added fat. Instead, they are packed with complex carbohydrates that provide our bodies with energy. Leading nutritionists recommend that 55 to 60 percent of our daily calories come from carbohydrates.

Bread

Toast your toast! Toast and slice into quarters for dipping into hummus. low fat cheese dips and extra chunky salsa. For a sweet treat, top with cinnamon sugar, jelly, honey or applesauce. Or, use toasted whole wheat bread as a casing for vegetable and low fat cream cheese sandwiches. Also, try topping bread with sliced apples. See also: Old-Fashioned Toast Recipes.

Cereal

Munch on dry cereal. or use it to top yogurt and ice cream. Combine cereal with dried fruit, pretzels and marshmallows for a tasty trail mix delight.

Crackers

Team crackers with low fat cheese and luncheon meats. Or, use wheat crackers as a platform for a chunky fruit and yogurt dip. You may also want to try your hand at baking your own crackers so you know exactly what ingredients are in them.

Tortillas

Spread a wheat tortilla with low fat peanut butter and jelly, and roll up a new snack. Or, make a quick quesadilla by placing slices of cheese on a tortilla, microwaving until the cheese melts and folding the tortilla in half.