When we are trying to lose weight, one of the hardest areas to control is our snacking. Controlling portions at meals tends to be easier than controlling portions of snacks. A meal, even a portion controlled meal, is generally filling and leaves us feeling satisfied. A snack however is not meant to do that. A snack is meant to give us a little bit of energy and tide us over until our next full meal. A client of mine recently asked for a list of good healthy snacks, so I thought I would share with you what I came up with. In general, snacks should fall into the following categories: 1. Fruits & Vegetables. 2. Nuts & Seeds. 3. Low Fat Dairy products. 4. Whole Grains. The following are snacks that you can feel good about eating. This is in no way a complete list of healthy snacks, but should give you a nice starting point.
Fruit & Vegetables:
- Apple Slices with either 1 tbs peanut butter or 1 small slice of cheddar cheese.
- Ants on a log. 2 pieces of celery with thinly spread peanut butter and raisins on top.
- 1 Banana with a small handful of mixed nuts (Almonds & Walnuts are especially good).
- Carrots & Celery. Go nuts with these guys if you’re eating them plain. You will get full long before you ruin your diet with these high fiber low calorie vegetables.
Nuts & Seeds:
- 1 Handful of mixed nuts (approximately ½-3/4 a cup).
- Roasted Pumpkin seeds. My favorite recipe is to roast them with some curry powder.
- Sunflower Seeds (watch the salt content if you buy these in a store).
Low Fat Dairy Products:
- Single serving of Yogurt with ¼ cup granola. Watch the sugar count for both the yogurt and granola. I go with plain low fat yogurt and homemade granola.
- String Cheese with a single piece of lean lunchmeat. String Cheese isn’t just for kids any more, it is a delicious low calorie snack.
- Cottage Cheese with a slice of cantaloupe.
Whole Grains:
- 1 Small whole grain pita with hummus.
- 4 whole grain crackers with 2 small slices of low fat cheese.
Tags: cooking, Diet, Fitness, goals, Inches, Oregon, Personal Trainers, Personal Training, Portland, Snacks, The Biggest Loser, Weight loss