Eating snacks gives you energy between meals and you can use them as an opportunity to get a healthy dose of nutrients. Healthy snacks should be low in fat, salt and sugar. A 250-calorie snack keeps your calorie intake low, but allows you to eat a variety of your favorite healthy foods. Jane Kirby and David Joachim note in their book, "Eat Up Slim Down," that nutritious snacks can also curb your cravings by satisfying your hunger.
Fruit Salad
Fruit provides a variety of nutrients and antioxidants and you can have a fairly large serving while staying below 250 calories. Combine several different colors into one bowl for a sweet snack that will also provide several hours of sustained energy. Kirby and Joachim note that for 250 calories you can include 1 cup of berries, 1/2 of a banana, 1/2 cup of cherries and a few cubes of watermelon or cantaloupe. Make your fruit salad slightly smaller and you can drizzle it with honey or plain yogurt for added taste and nutrition.
Trail Mix
A combination of dried fruits and nuts that totals 250 calories makes a tasty and nutritious snack. Start with 2 cups of air-popped popcorn, which supplies fiber and other nutrients for about 150 calories Ian K. Smith notes in his book, "The 4 Day Diet." Add a handful of almonds for another 50 calories and a handful of dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins, for another 50 calories. This trail mix supplies some vitamin C from the fruit as well as healthy unsaturated fat from the almonds. The almonds also supply protein for several hours of energy.
Pita with Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a filling and nutritious snack that provides protein for sustained energy and calcium for bone health. Kirby and Joachim recommend serving 1 cup of cottage cheese with whole-wheat pita bread to create an energy-providing 250-calorie snack. Choose whole-wheat pita bread because it is higher in fiber than white pita bread. Fill a halved piece of pita bread with 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese. Shake on cinnamon to add taste to your snack without adding calories.
Crackers with Peanut Butter and Raisins
For 250 calories, you can eat several whole-grain crackers with peanut butter and raisins. Smith reports that eight wheat crackers with 2 tsp. of peanut butter adds up to about 150 calories. Add two more crackers with peanut butter and sprinkle each cracker with five or six raisins to reach 250 calories. The whole-grain crackers supply fiber while the peanut butter supplies protein and healthy unsaturated fat. The raisins add a small amount of additional fiber as well as some nutrients, such as vitamin C and potassium.
References
- "Eat Up Slim Down"; Jane Kirby and David Joachim; 2001
- "The 4 Day Diet"; Ian K. Smith; 2009
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