Top Snacks for Losing Weight

Top Snacks for Losing Weight
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Losing weight can be challenging, but it can be done. There are hundreds of diets and opinions on what is the best food or meal plan to choose for the fastest results. If you snack throughout the day to keep your metabolism up, you will succeed with your weight loss goals. Try to select foods from the main food groups so you lose weight in the healthiest way possible.

Vegetables

Vegetables provide vital nutrients that your body needs in order to stay healthy. Vegetables are low in fat and have no cholesterol -- this makes losing weight easy. Vegetables are an important part of your everyday diet, and they also make great snacks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vegetables include dietary fiber, which helps to keep you regular. They also contain vitamins A, E and C, which you need for healthy eyes and skin as well as reducing your risk for high blood pressure and inflammation. Snacking on vegetables also provides a good source of folic acid. This is essential in forming red blood cells and provides additional health benefits during the first trimester of pregnancy. Popular vegetable snacks such as baby carrots, celery sticks, cauliflower florets and radishes are easy to eat on the go and can be enjoyed raw.

Fruits

It is important to avoid processed foods when you are looking for snacks to help with weight loss. If you still have a sweet tooth, you can implement fresh fruits to your diet. Red or green seedless grapes are a healthy fat free snack that you can enjoy at room temperature or chilled, for a tasty treat. Clementines are a sweet fruit, similar to an orange but are more convenient to eat and peel; they are small and are the perfect size for an on-the-go snack.

Grains

Getting your daily fill of whole grains is easy to do through snacking. Whole grains provide you with complex carbohydrates and they are low in fat, so you can eat more than you could of a processed diet snack. Non-processed grain snacks contain selenium, potassium and magnesium, things you need to replenish when dieting and exercising, explains MayoClinic.com. You should alternate a whole grain snack along with other nutritious low-fat and low-calorie snacks. Examples of top weight loss snacks include air popped popcorn, whole wheat crackers, rice cakes, oatmeal bars and cracked wheat snacks.

Low-fat Dairy

You have several options when it comes to low-fat dairy products. Try to choose organic, natural snacks so you can avoid added sodium and calories. The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults get two or three servings of low-fat dairy daily. Cottage cheese is a good snack choice, but choose low-fat or skim milk based cottage cheese. Low fat yogurts come in a large selection of taste flavors. You can also create your own weight loss shake or smoothie by using 1 percent milk along with your favorite fruits and natural flavorings.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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