You wouldn't think weight loss and snacking go together, but incorporating healthy snacks into your weight loss diet may actually help you meet your goals. Snacks not only provide nutrition between meals, but they can also prevent you from getting too hungry, potentially overeating at your next meal. Nevertheless, not just any snack will do. Choose healthy, low calorie snacks for maximum success.
Fresh Vegetables
Vegetables are not only a rich source of fiber, but they're also packed with vitamins and minerals. As a bonus, vegetables are low in calories and offer a satisfying crunch when you eat them. Their high fiber content help you feel full and stay full until your next meal. To make choosing fresh vegetables as a snack easier, keep ready-to-go veggies on hand. Prewash and cut assorted veggies like broccoli, carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes and snap peas, and keep them in your fridge. It's like having a vegetable platter on hand at all times. If you prefer a warm vegetable snack, keep single-serve portions of frozen steamer vegetables around and simply pop a portion in the microwave. Just be sure to choose varieties without extra sauce or salt.
Fruits
Fruits are also high in fiber and low in calories, making small amounts prefect for snacking. Keeping fruits washed and ready-to-go makes it easier for you to make healthy between-meal snack choices. Apples and oranges are packed with vitamins and fiber, and are easy to carry anywhere. You can also opt for single-serve portions of packaged fruits, like fruit cups and applesauce. Just be sure to opt for varieties with no added sugar, and those packed in fruit juice over light syrup. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a sweetened applesauce cup contains 68 extra grams of sugar, without extra nutritional benefit.
"Handful" Snacks
Sometimes, you need a snack that tastes like a snack. While nuts are higher in fat than fruits and vegetables, they also have generous amounts of protein which help you feel satisfied. Most packages of nuts and seeds are larger than a serving size. The Weight-Loss Information Network advises taking your large package and dividing it up into single-serve portions. For example, keep your self-prepared snack sized bags of almonds or pumpkin seeds available for on-the-go snacking. In addition, popcorn without butter or salt makes a nice "snack-like" snack, but Mayo Clinic recommends sticking to a serving of only 100 calories.
Dairy Snacks
Dairy products are a good source of both calcium and protein, and many low-fat varieties already come in single-serve portions. Yogurt cups, string cheese and cottage cheese all make healthy snack choices. However, be sure to monitor the sugar content of any yogurts, as they can vary: many contain added sugar to enhance the taste, which increases your calorie intake without adding any nutritional value. While most dairy snacks require refrigeration, they are an ideal at-home snack. If you have a refrigerator in your workplace, keep a variety of dairy snacks on hand to prevent choosing a less weight-loss-friendly option during the afternoon slump.
Snack Bars
While a snack bar or drink may be found in the diet aisle, be sure to read labels: some contain more calories than you might think. In addition, they can be expensive. Just because it has a diet brand, or is the recommended 100 calories or less doesn't mean it's nutritious. Opt for varieties with a high protein or fiber content, which can help you feel full. Also, be sure to check the fat and sugar content: some contain nearly as much as a candy bar.
Member Comments