Craving a between-meal snack? You have a choice: Drop some quarters in the vending machine and pull out a candy bar, or eat something healthy that will boost your energy and tide you over. The latter is the choice you have to make if you want to manage your weight and energy over the long term. Eat flavorful and healthy foods between meals, and you can lose weight without ever feeling deprived.
Seeds and Nuts
Saturated fat should make up less than 7 percent of your daily calories and trans fat should be less than 1 percent, according to the American Heart Association. Most of the fat you eat should be mono- or polyunsaturated fat, which comes from healthy sources such as seeds and nuts. Nuts and seeds are ideal snacks, because they are easy to carry around, and they are full of appetite-satisfying protein. Grab a handful of almonds or about 2 tbsp. of peanuts for a 100-calorie snack, suggests the Mayo Clinic.
Fruits and Veggies
Munch on fruits and veggies throughout the day. They're full of important nutrients, they have few calories and little or no fat, and they can help you stay full because they are rich in fiber, according to the Mayo Clinic. For a 100-calorie snack, prepare 2 cups of carrots or 1 cup of banana slices and raspberries, suggests the Mayo Clinic. To add some zing to your snack, blend some fruit, ice and skim milk into a smoothie, dip crisp veggies into hummus, or dip fruit into some low-fat yogurt.
Whole Grains
Grab a handful of whole-grain pretzels, warm up a whole-grain pita and dip it into some hummus, or mix almonds and dried fruit with whole-grain cereal for a tasty trail mix, recommends TeensHealth, a Nemours Foundation website. Snacks rich in whole grains offer complex carbohydrates and fiber, a combination that gives you sustained energy and keeps you feeling full until your next meal.
Snacking Tips
Chop up celery, slap some peanut butter on it and put multiple servings into small zip-seal bags in your vegetable drawer so you don't have to work at making a snack when you're hungry. Do the same with homemade trail mix, nuts, seeds and whole-wheat crackers for on-the-go snacking. Put these snacks in your briefcase or gym bag so you have something to grab when you're tempted to visit the vending machine, recommends TeensHealth.
Warning
Read nutrition labels carefully. Lots of junk foods parade as "healthy" snacks, warns TeensHealth. Foods that claim to be all-natural often contain lots of sugar, and breakfast snacks such as granola bars can be full of artery-clogging trans fats.
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