6 HEALTHY SNACKS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

6 HEALTHY SNACKS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

The words healthy snacks for weight loss may seem too good to be true, but there is such a thing. So what snacks should you eat when trying to lose weight? Here’s what many CMWL participating providers tell their own patients:

Try a snack from the sea: Seaweed salad, a Japanese-style snack, is one of my favorite healthy snacks for weight loss. A typical two-ounce serving contains about 70 calories, and the chewy texture combined with the nutty, sweet, and salty flavor satisfies the taste buds. Packed with filling fiber and vitamins A, B, and C plus iron, thiamine, niacin, and calcium, seaweed salad is as good for you as it tastes.

Freeze up some grapes: Frozen grapes are another snack for weight loss. They satisfy the craving for something sweet and at the same time are difficult to eat too quickly. Each refreshing serving (about 10 grapes) contains 34 calories.

Stick with the basics: Though they may not be the most novel healthy snacks for weight loss, there’s a reason carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli, and the like have long been weight loss snack mainstays. They are low in calories but high in fiber, and their crunchy texture makes for a satisfying snack. For extra snap, store cut-up and ready-to-eat carrots and celery sticks in a container of water in the fridge. Delicious!

Go crazy for cucumbers: Sliced cucumbers, alone or thinly sliced and tossed in vinegar to make a cucumber salad, make another good snacking choice. A one-cup serving has only 14 calories, but the water and fiber content of this veggie makes them seem much more indulgent.

Shell some nuts: Sunflower seeds, pistachios, almonds, and other nuts in the shell make good healthy snacks for weight loss. The act of shelling or cracking helps keep your hands busy and slows down the process, meaning you’ll likely eat fewer nuts this way than if you bought them already shelled. Nuts are packed with protein and fiber but beware, they are also packed with calories, so pay attention to portion sizes and be sure to stick to them.

Have an apple a day: Easily portable, crunchy, and sweet apples are a healthy snack for weight loss that’s hard to beat. A small apple contains about 75 calories. Studies have shown that people who eat an apple shortly before a meal eat fewer calories, making them a great appetizer-style snack.

Though these healthy snacks are a good choice when you need them, in general, all-day snacking is generally not recommended as a good weight-loss habit. People who are grazers tend to eat more calories a day than they realize, as do people who eat one big meal and otherwise snack. So make it a priority to eat three balanced low-calorie but high-bulk meals a day and keep snacking to the occasional side. When you are eating properly you should not be hungry between meals, which will further help you control over-snacking.