The death of a diet often occurs because of hunger pangs that come from reducing your food intake. While it may seem the last thing you should do is add more food to a daily meal plan, arranging your calorie limit to allow for a mid-morning and afternoon snack can reduce food cravings and may be what ultimately helps you win the weight control battle. Consider the energy density of snack foods – or the relationship of calories to the amount of food – to make snacks around 150 calories satisfy your appetite as well as daily nutritional requirements.
The Facts
Healthy snacks follow the same principles of good nutrition as meals. Carbohydrates, protein and fat are essential for good nutrition and should be an integral part of your snack plan. This does not mean, however, that snacks need to be traditional or boring. A piece of fruit and a few raw vegetable sticks may work, but snacks can also be creative concoctions. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are an especially good place to start -- and because you will be eating only small amounts, this can mean experimenting with new foods or out-of-season favorites that may be price prohibitive in larger quantities.
Calories vs. Quantity
Choose healthy snacks with low energy density if quantity is important and high energy density if a small snack is all you require. For example, make a packet of instant oatmeal using skim milk and then top it with blueberries or sliced strawberries for a filling morning snack. As an alternate 150-calorie option, you can instead have 1/3 cup of dried raisins. In the afternoon, cut a medium size apple into slices and spread the slices with 2 tbsp. of low fat peanut butter or mix 1 tbsp. of chocolate syrup with an 8 oz. glass of skim milk.
Satisfy Food Cravings
Use low calorie, healthy snacks as a way to satisfy food cravings. If you want something cold and sweet, mix a container of lemon yogurt, a container of blueberry yogurt and few extra whole blueberries and then freeze the mixture in 3 oz. paper cups. If you want something crunchy, have three brown rice cakes, spreading each with up to 1 tbsp. of sugar-free jelly or jam. If you like cheese, dip up to three 1 oz. no-fat mozzarella cheese sticks in marinara sauce.
Get Creative
Think outside the box when planning 150 calorie snacks. Use snacks to mimic a meal and if you find it consistently difficult to meet daily nutritional requirements for a particular food group, include the food group as part of a snack. For example, add protein, calcium and vitamin A to your diet with a snack that includes two slices of turkey rolled in two lettuce leaves, 1/2 cup of fresh carrots topped with 1 tbsp. of light ranch dressing and 1/2 cup of skim milk.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Energy Density and Weight Loss: Feel Fuller on Fewer Calories; January 2011
- Fitness Magazine: 30 Low Calorie Snacks
- Redding Crave: Snacks Around 150 Calories Each; June 2011
- My Recipes: Frozen Desserts Under 150 Calories
- Womans Day: 50 Best Snacks Under 50 Calories; Keri M. Gans, R.D; July 2008
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