When you are trying to lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficiency in your body. This means you are burning more calories than you are taking in. An effective way to do this is to incorporate exercise into your daily life and also make some dietary adjustments. Eating snacks can help keep your energy levels high and also prevent you from overeating when you sit down for a meal. Low calorie, nutrient dense foods can be used for your snacks.
Fruits
Fruits are high in water content, natural sugar, vitamins and they are also low in fat. They make good snacks because they are also high in fiber, which can help fill you up and keep you feeling full for a long period of time. Examples of these are apples, oranges, bananas, pears, peaches, grapes, apricots, blueberries and strawberries. You can eat these raw or frozen. A large banana is just over 100 calories, and the rest of these fruits are 75 calories or less.
Vegetables
Vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and water content. In similar fashion to fruit, they can help keep your hunger held off due to their fiber content. With the exception of sweet potatoes and yams, vegetables are also low in sugar. Good options for snacks include celery, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, lettuce and broccoli. Every one of these choices has less than 60 calories per serving.
Dairy Products
Regular dairy products are high in calcium, protein, Vitamin D and fat. But you can also get low-fat or fat-free options that are lower in calories, and use them for snacks. Examples of these are cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and milk. A 4 oz. serving of cottage cheese has just over 80 calories. A cup of plain, fat-free yogurt has just under 140 calories.
Popcorn
Popcorn is a signature snack food at movie theaters. The only problem with that is the high amounts of butter and salt that get added to it. This increases the calorie and sodium content turning a healthy snack into an unhealthy one. But if you make your own popcorn with an air popper, you can get the benefits of the high fiber and low fat content. To add some extra flavor, you can use a butter spray.
Combinations
When you eat snacks, you can put several things together to keep things interesting and still keep calories low. A few examples of snacks that you can make include peanut butter with celery, carrots and cheese cubes, fat-free yogurt with berries and a salad with chopped up vegetables.
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