Snacks are not an indulgence; they’re a necessity. Eating between meals keeps your blood sugar up and your stomach full. Snacking helps you avoid overeating when you sit down to lunch or dinner. According to the Mayo Clinic, snacks should be fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, nuts or seeds in order to fit into a healthy diet.
Popcorn
When you’re craving something crunchy and salty, walk straight past the potato chips and pick up a package of popcorn instead. Three cups of air-popped plain popcorn equals only 100 calories, so you can add a few flavorings while still keeping the snack in a healthy range. Drizzle a teaspoon of melted butter and sprinkle salt or a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese on top. To make the popcorn spicy, spritz it with olive oil; mix in a bit of cumin and chili powder.
Fruit Smoothie
A fruit smoothie will satisfy your sweet tooth just as well as a bowl of ice cream does. Slice up a half banana and add it to a blender along with two sliced strawberries or a handful of raspberries. Add a few ice cubes, a half cup of low-fat yogurt and a few tablespoons of orange juice. Blend until the ice is blended. You can swap out the bananas and berries for just about any fruit you like as long as you include no more than a cup of fruit, since it does contain sugar.
Vegetables
All vegetables are fairly low in calories, so you can fill up on these high-fiber snacks. Snacking on a handful of pepper strips alone may not satisfy your cravings, however. Just about any dip you would like can fit into a 250-calorie snack as long as you limit the portion. Scoop three tablespoons of hummus or low-fat salad dressing into a bowl and eat it with a cup of broccoli pieces, carrot sticks or pea pods. For a sweeter veggie snack, spread a tablespoon of peanut butter over two celery stalks and top them with raisins.
Nuts
Nuts are high in fat, but they’re also packed with filling protein. Choose unsalted or lightly salted nuts to limit your sodium intake. One ounce of peanuts, or 35 nuts, contains about 166 calories, so 50 peanuts will total about 250 calories. Eighteen pecan halves also total around 250 calories. If you like your snacks to be both sweet and savory, cut the amount of nuts you eat in half and combine them with two tablespoons of dried fruit like cranberries, banana chips or dried coconut flakes.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Snacks: How They Fit Into your Weight Loss Plan
- Cleveland Clinic: Heart and Vascular Health & Prevention: Snacks Under 200 Calories
- Mayo Clinic: Nuts and your Heart: Eating nuts for Heart Health
- Cleveland Clinic: Heart and Vascular Health & Prevention: The Whole Truth and Nutting But the Truth
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