The Best Snack Foodsto Help Lose Weight

Snacking is a way to keep your
appetite under control in
between meals. When you go
without food for long periods
of time your metabolism slows
down, your body craves
carbohydrates to use for a much
needed energy boost. When it
comes time to finally eat it's
hard to consciously choose
healthy foods and a proper
portion size. Although snacking
can seem like your worst
nightmare it's more about
controlling what types of foods
you snack on and how much
you choose to consume. It is
these two principals that make
snacking a dieter's best friend.
When trying to lose weight,
most people cut out snacking to
reduce their calories, however
this can actually lead to over
consumption later on. Rather,
you should eat smaller meals
throughout the day to help
control appetite, ward off
cravings, and regulate your
blood sugar.
Choosing the right snacks can be
difficult, especially when trying
to lose weight. You want to eat
something to satisfy your
craving that is low in calories
and healthy. Your snack doesn't
necessarily have to be low fat as
long as you keep your portion
sizes and food choices under
control. By pairing two different
food types together you will
feel fuller for longer, just
remember to reduce the amount
of each food that you eat. So
the next time you're feeling
hungry or its time for a snack
choose foods from this list to
keep you full and satisfied.
1. Fruit- Fruit is excellent for a
snack. Whether you eat apiece
by itself or pair it with cheese,
yogurt or a dipping sauce, it has
wonderful nutritional value and
is low in calories. Most fruits are
naturally sweet, which curb
cravings for sugar snacks.
Additionally they are a great
source of fiber, have high water
content and some contain
antioxidants, anticancer, and
heart disease fighting
properties. For the quantity of
melons and berries that you're
able to eat for a snack they are
surprisingly low in calories.
Melons include watermelon,
cantaloupe, honeydew, and
casaba. Berries include
raspberries, blackberries,
blueberries, strawberries and
cranberries. Dried fruit can also
be consumed because it
maintains the fiber, vitamins,
and minerals, however they
tend to be higher in calories and
can sometimes contain added
sugar. Always remember your
portion size when you eat dried
fruits. The best fruits to eat for
a snack include melons, berries,
apples, pears, peaches, plums,
oranges, grapefruits, tangerines,
and red grapes.
2. Vegetables- Vegetables are a
great source of nutrients, which
makes them a perfect snack
food. Vegetables are full of
vitamins, minerals, and fiber and
are very low in calories.
Vegetables can be eaten alone or
paired with other foods such as
celery and peanut butter,
cucumbers and hummus, carrots
and low fat rand dressing, etc.
Because most vegetables require
some type of preparation such
as cleaning, peeling or cutting,
its best to prepare your
vegetables ahead of time and
store them in plastic baggies or
Tupperware containers.
3. Nuts- Nuts are a great snack
food that can be eaten on the
go and stored easily. Nuts are a
valuable source of fiber,
antioxidants, protein, vitamins
and healthy unsaturated fats.
However, they run high in
calories and fat so maintaining
an appropriate serving size per
sitting is necessary. Pistachios,
almonds and walnuts are
preferred for snacking
purposes.
4. Legume- Legumes are a
"whole food" that provides the
body with essential nutrients
such as fiber, protein, minerals,
amino acids, omega 3 fatty
acids, and antioxidants. Legumes
are complex carbohydrates,
which keep you feeling fuller
for longer. Although legumes
don't seem like a good snack
food, most often they are made
into a puree, dip, or added to a
salad. The best legumes for
snacks are beans, chickpeas,
hummus, and tahini (pureed
sesame seeds).
5. Dairy- Dairy is a great source
of calcium, which builds strong
bones, protein and vitamins. Its
best to use low fat or fat free
dairy products for snacking to
avoid consuming high amounts
of saturated fats. Yogurt,
cottage cheese, ricotta, hard
cheeses, milk, cream cheese, and
sour cream are good sources of
dairy foods for snacking. For
yogurt beware of the added
sugars which hike up the
calories. Greek yogurt is thick
and has a naturally sour taste,
but is also higher in protein than
normal yogurt. When measuring
out serving size be careful with
cheeses because even the low
fat or fat free kinds tend to run
high in saturated fats. You can
consume 1/2 cup of soft cheese
in one sitting and a couple of
cubes of hard cheese such as
mozzarella or Monterey jack.
6. Whole grains- Most snack
foods consist of refined grains
such as cookies, crackers and
snack cakes. Refined grains are
high in sugar and fat without
any healthy benefits. Whole
grains on the other hand have
fiber, vitamins and minerals,
which provide the body with
nutrients and energy. When
looking for a snack turn to
whole grain food products to fill
you up and keep you going.
Some whole grain food products
include whole grain crackers,
tortilla chips, pita wedges,
English muffins, rice cakes,
cereals and popcorn. Light or
low fat popcorn is great for
snacking and is naturally high in
fiber. Avoid butter, which adds
fat and calories. Another option
is 100% whole wheat or
multigrain, however you want
to watch out for added sugar
and high saturated or trans fats.
Whole grain snack foods are
great combined with cheeses,
dips, spreads, or fruits.
Remember portion size when
combining two food groups.
7. Nutrition Bars- Nutrition bars
are a great snack to take on the
go. They are easy, maintenance
free and portable and most
often contain a good amount of
protein, vitamins, minerals and
fiber. They come in all kinds
granola, cereal, fiber, protein,
and tons of flavors for
everyone's different tastes. The
fiber and protein will keep you
full and satisfy your craving
until your next meal. Always
check the ingredient list for a
high number of calories, sugar,
fat and any added chemicals.