With a little preparation and foresight, healthy snacks are possible even if there’s a deluge of tempting, high-calorie count snacks around. After all, healthy food and snacks are almost synonymous to each other in terms of having a light meal just before the main meals of the day.

You can make a snack healthy by starting with nutritious ingredients that need not be adulterated by added calories or fat. The best examples are vegetables, which when sliced as crudités would be a great snack to munch on. Just be careful with the dip—make sure it’s low fat or low-calorie (sour cream-based comes to mind) when you slather them on carrot, courgette, and jicama sticks.

Fruits like apples, bananas, and oranges both satiate one’s hunger pangs and still be nutritious on its own. Turn them into smoothies by adding low-fat milk and just a bit of sugar and you have yourself another handy, healthy and delicious snack. Similarly, you can spoon cut up fruits into a cup of yogurt and have a healthy snack option. Likewise with low-fat frozen yogurt from your favorite store.

For even handier healthy snacks, roasted almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, and other nuts should always be within reach. Try to get them unsalted to lessen your sodium intake. Mix them up with dried fruits like apricots, pineapple, mango, raisins and plums for more variety and texture.

Finally, two of the handiest snacks of them all: a dark chocolate bar will provide you with antioxidants while a granola or oatmeal-based homemade energy bar that’s low in sugar and high fiber will help fuel you for the day. Should you feel the need for cookies and cakes, select the lighter varieties with less fat and more flavor. You can snack healthy and still be happy about your choices.