Use Fats and Oils Wisely

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a great place to start to learn more about what it takes to making smart choices about your nutrition and overall health. The guidelines emphasize eating foods from a variety of healthful sources. These sources should provide the nutrients -- vitamines, minerals, antioxidants, as well as fiber and other components -- that your body needs to function well and fight disease. Start reaching for "functional" foods and beverages rather than food and beverage choices offering only "empty" calories that make you feel full with little benefit to your overall health.

It has also been warned that low-carb snacks can also be high in saturated fat, which contributes to high cholesterol. Rather than using white flour, which quickly breaks down to sugars in the body, low-carb snacks are made with soy, rye, or almond flour. These alternative flours do contain carbohydrates, but in the form of resistance starches. These starches act like fiber, passing through the body undigested and only minimally affecting blood sugar levels.

So, are carb-free snacks really better for you than their full-carb counterparts? Not if you're replacing healthy foods with low-carb junk food. Altering ingredients often means altering taste and texture. Also, resistance starches aren't easily digested, so eating too much may cause bloating and gastrointesinal discomfort.