Check out nine great snacks that keep you full of energy and low on pounds.

JJ Virgin: If you find yourself nodding off at your desk, or slapping yourself in the face to stay awake behind the wheel mid-afternoon, you may well just be struggling with blood sugar imbalances due to insufficient nutrients -- or calories -- from your meals earlier in the day.

There are some really simple ways to prevent this from happening in the first place -- everything from choosing the right foods, in the right proportions, at the right time, and even eating them with the right mindset (some of us even need to select the right people with whom we dine!). Any misstep in one of these areas can cause a crazy swing in blood sugar, which results in all kinds of physical reactions. Perhaps you get cranky and irritable. Some folks crave sugar or salt midday. Fuzzy thinking and low energy are other negative effects of low blood sugar.

Contrary to popular opinion, the solution ISN'T to nosh every two to three hours! Why? Because if you are constantly feeding your system, it has a steady supply of calories to draw from, making it impossible to tap into stored body fat for fuel. Result? Regular snacking keeps you -- and can make you -- FAT! Given the proper balance at meals, you should be good to go for four to six hours. There are those days, though, when the gap between mealtimes widens to seven or more hours -- and when it does, it's time to refuel. Here are my all-time favorite options to balance blood sugar and to whack those side effects in the process:

JJ Virgin, PhD, CNS is a celebrity health and nutrition expert, author, public speaker and media personality. She is internationally recognized as the creator of the Weight Loss Resistance Revolution™ and trains other health care professionals in her program. JJ is the President of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, nanp.org.