By choosing the right food, eating between meals can be beneficial for your health
Grazing - or snacking - is becoming a normal way of life for most of us since we're all rushing from one activity to the next, and often there's not enough time to eat three main meals.
Grazing is a necessary way of meeting our energy and nutrient requirements which we might otherwise miss as a result of skipping meals.
It's fun and usually means munching on junk food, but it can be enjoyable and healthy as long as we don't just concentrate on crisps, chocolate and chicken wings. Mini-meals should be nutrient-dense and in fibre and other vitamins and minerals.
Healthy snacks could include those found in the lower layers of the Healthy Diet Pyramid, such as baked potato with beans, low-fat milk or yoghurt, fruits, plain biscuits, sweetcorn or wholegrain cereals.
According to a survey conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1997, most of the 689 Hong Kong children aged nine to 12 who took part ate high-energy and high-fat snacks.
