Healthy Sweet Snacks For Dieters

If you're trying to lose weight by cutting some calories from your diet, you don't have to forgo all snacks or eliminate sweets from your daily routine. If you snack between meals, you are less likely to overeat, according to the Iowa State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Eating an occasional sweet snack may help prevent you from getting sweet tooth cravings, cheating on your diet and gorging on too many high-calorie treats.

Fruit Salad

Fruit has natural sugars that satisfy your sweet tooth, but is also contains stomach-filling fiber and will help you meet your daily needs for vitamins and minerals. Rather than munching on the same apple every day, gather a variety of your favorite fruits and toss them into a fruit salad. For instance, use six cored and sliced apples -- keep the peel for added fiber -- and mix them in well with two sliced and peeled bananas, 2 cups of canned and drained pineapple and 1 cup of sliced grapes. A 1 cup serving of this concoction only tacks on about 107 calories, according to the University of Maryland Extension. If you're making the salad for just yourself, cut the fruits and store them in separate storage containers in your refrigerator and only mix the amount you want to eat at any one time.

Graham Crackers and Peanut Butter

If you have a craving for the sweetness and crumbly texture of cookies, reach for the graham crackers instead. Spread about 1 tbsp. of light peanut butter on two graham cracker squares and you will also get a small dose fat and protein to fill your stomach until the next mealtime rolls around, mentions New Jersey dietitian Linda McLachlan in a "Fitness" magazine article. As long as you stick to just a dollop of peanut butter and avoid reaching for extra graham squares, this snack is only about 155 calories.

Granola and Yogurt Parfait

Skip the fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt to avoid taking in too many calories from added sugars. As a more colorful and more nutritious alternative, grab a parfait or wine glass and layer about ½ cup of fresh or frozen berries with 2 tbsp. of low-fat granola and ¾ cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt. This combination only adds up to about 255 calories, according to "Good Housekeeping" magazine. To further cut back on calories and to get more protein, zinc, calcium, potassium and B vitamins from your yogurt, opt for plain Greek yogurt, recommends the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Smoothie

Grabbing a smoothie at a local smoothie shop may seem like a nutritious idea, but commercial smoothies tend to be full of calories from added sugars and large quantities of sugary juice. You will get more nutritional bang and fewer unnecessary calories out of your buck if you know exactly what is going into your smoothie. For a protein-rich smoothie that only tacks on about 159 calories, blend in one scoop of vanilla protein powder with ¾ cup of frozen cherries, one peeled and quartered kiwi, ¼ cup of orange juice, ¾ tsp. of agave nectar, ½ cup coconut water and 3 ice cubes, recommends "Women'sHealth" magazine.