Dieting does not mean you have to give up snacking. In fact, choosing snacks wisely can help you with your weight loss goals rather than deter them. Snacking prevents you from becoming over hungry which leads to unhealthy food choices and overeating. Yet, you must be certain to choose your snacks wisely to also avoid pitfalls. Let’s face it; we all love to snack throughout the day. A nice rule of thumb is choosing a snack at 100 calories. Staying in that range keeps you in control of your snacking intake while making it easy to adjust to your individual caloric needs. You are most likely familiar with all the 100 calorie cookie and cracker snack options offered at your local grocery stores. Be very careful with that choice as your sugar intake will be affected. Not all 100 calorie snacks are created equal; consider sugar and high fructose corn syrup consumption as well. Prepackaged items also tend to cost more, so you why not try some the options below?
100 Calorie Healthy Snacks:
*1-1/2 cups grapes
*1 cup unsweetened applesauce 8 saltines
*4 cups raw broccoli
*25 baby carrots
*3 oz sliced turkey
*2 TB chocolate chips
*20 pickle slices
*Half an apple with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
*10 cashew nuts
*10 almonds
*Half a small avocado
*3 ounces cooked whole-grain noodles with 1 fresh tomato and 1/2 ounce hard cheese
*4 mini rice cakes with 2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese
*3 ounces low-fat cottage cheese and 3 whole-wheat crackers
*1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing with mixed raw veggies
*6 Wheat Thins crackers with two teaspoons of peanut butter (or any nut butter)
*1 small baked potato with 1/2 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream
*1/2 cup frozen orange juice, eaten as sorbet
*2 large graham cracker squares with 1 teaspoon peanut butter
*3 handfuls of unbuttered popcorn, seasoned with herbs
*4-6 ounces of no-fat or low-fat yogurt
*A 5-ounce tossed salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and 1/4 cup fat-free dressing.
Snack ideas came from WedMD and The Diet Channel.
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