Snacking isn’t inherently bad for us! It’s actually proven that snacking is beneficial for improving overall health, curbing food cravings and fighting weight gain. That said, it’s totally fine to have a snack between meals — just make sure what you’re munching on is healthy.

As a basic rule of thumb, your typical snacks should consist of whole foods, contain 100-200 calories and a mix of complex carbs, protein and a bit of healthy fat. Here are our top 10 healthy snack options involving some of our favorite locally made goods and recipes from our site.

1. Fresh juice or smoothie – Our pre-packaged juicing kits make juicing at home super simple. Choose from  three different recipes: ABC (apple, beet and carrot), the Jumpstarter (apple and carrot) and Earthling (pear and kale).
2. Banana or apple with nut butter - Reginald’s Homemade nut butters will make this snack feel sinful, but it’s perfectly healthy.
3. A hard boiled egg with a piece of 100% whole wheat bread – We’ve got you covered on local eggs and freshly baked whole grain bread.
4. Greek yogurt with fruit or granola – Check out Michele’s Granola or make a batch of homemade mixed fruit granola.
5. Edamame - A great protein packed snack.
6. 1/2 baked sweet potato with feta cheese – Try this delicious, local feta.
7. Homemade trail mix – Here’s a great recipe for trail mix using raw nuts.
8. 1 serving low-fat cottage cheese and fruit/veggies - Pomegranates are in season right now and they’re the perfect topping for cottage cheese.
9. Veggies with 2 Tablespoons of hummus – We recommend Cava Mezze hummus! Cava offeres a variety of hummus flavors to choose from: kalamata, spicy, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper or go out on a limb and try the eggplant and roasted red pepper dip.
10. Natural snack bars – We love all-natural fruit and nut energy bars like Nouri Bars.

What is your favorite healthy snack?