For many women, dieting equals food restriction. Snacks? They usually get eliminated in the name of saving calories. But snacking when you’re watching your weight is actually a good idea.

Snacks can be an important part of a healthy diet. Well-chosen snacks can help you manage your weight, hunger, health, and energy. Snacks can help you gain or lose weight. Energy dense snacks can help you eat more in a day for weight gain. Eating several small healthy snacks between meals helps with weight loss by keeping cravings down and preventing excessive hunger that may lead to overeating. Snacks can help you meet healthful guidelines for grain, vegetable, fruit, calcium and protein intake. Small, wisely chosen snacks between meals promote good health and add pleasure to life. Snack with variety, balance and moderation in mind.

Whether eaten on the go or at home or after office, healthy snacks are easy and quick to put together and eat, and offer important nutrients and energy in each delicious bite. Keep healthy beverages, such as water, juice, and soy milk, and snack foods, such as the ones listed in the below, on-hand at home. Here are few healthy snacks to get you started:

Whole grains: Whole-grain snacks are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which give you energy with staying power. They provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains. Either dry or with low-fat milk, whole grain cereals make good snacks. Look for cereals with no more than 35% added sugars by weight (or roughly 8 grams of sugar per serving). Cookies, snack cakes, and chips should be saved for occasional treats, given their poor nutritional quality.

Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables also contain important nutrients like vitamins A and C and fiber. They also provide a feeling of fullness with no fat and only a small number of calories. Fruit is naturally sweet and can be eaten in a variety of ways. Fruit can be served whole, sliced, cut in half, cubed, or in wedges. Vegetables can be served raw with dip like cottage cheese and olive oil or with salad dressing (use only low-fat salad dressing).

Nuts: Nuts are packed full of protein and fiber, so you will feel fuller longer. They are also rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium. They can be high in fat, but it’s mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3), which have all been shown to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol. However, nuts are high in calories, so don’t eat them in large quantities. Nuts you can have include almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds and walnuts.

Low-fat dairy products: Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are good sources of calcium and protein, plus many other vitamins and minerals. Dairy products can be high in fat, so choose the low-fat versions. Some yogurts have extra added sugar, so look for low-calorie or “light” varieties.

Air Popped Popcorn: Air popped popcorn is one of the best snacks to choose for overall crunch appeal. Without butter, oil and salt, popcorn is the best high-fiber, low-calorie and low cholesterol snack. One cup (around 11 gram) of air popped popcorn contains only 30 calories. Stay away from the fat and calorie packed flavored versions of microwave popcorn. Children under age 4 should avoid eating popcorn because it’s a choking hazard.

Baked French Fries: French fries are not healthy because of the way they are cooked which adds calories, fat, and cholesterol to them. Baking instead of frying is one method to make fries healthy, especially if you brush them with olive oil. Leave the skins on because they provide all the essential nutrients, like potassium, vitamin C, fiber, and even protein. For a metabolism kick (spicy foods have been shown to temporarily increase metabolism) and a taste kids will love, try making spicy fries with a dash of red chili pepper, garlic, and onion powder.

Granola and Cereal Bars: They’re a convenient, prepackaged, pre-portioned, mess-free, portable snack. But beware: many of these “energy bars,” although marketed as healthy, are simply glorified candy bars. Some cereal bars are loaded with added sugar, which can appear on the label as glucose, dextrose or glucose syrups. Look for whole grain granola bars that are low in fat and sugars.

Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate has been shown to have many health benefits and may even improve your heart health. This is because of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols present in the cocoa, the main ingredient of dark chocolate. But have chocolate in moderation to get the health benefits, limiting to two squares per day.

Egg Salad: If you need your snack to have real staying power, go for a combo of good protein and a little bit of fat. A homemade egg salad is a great choice. Chop up one whole egg and one egg white, then mix with a tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise.

Tomato Soup with Baby Carrots: A mini-meal snack is a good idea when dinner is a long way off. The combo of tomato soup and baby carrots is not just filling; it also gives you lots of body-healthy nutrients, like potassium, cancer-fighting lycopene, and beta-carotene.

Choosing healthy snacks throughout the day can help maintain energy levels, be a source of nutrients and prevent overeating at mealtime. The rule of thumb: Make healthy snacking easy. Incorporate it into your day by keeping healthy snack foods available, whether in the kitchen, in your backpack or at the office. As with everything, moderation is the key to smart snacking.