Healthy Snack Ideas
Many people avoid snacking when trying to lose weight. However for some, eating between meals can prove to be a great help in keeping feelings of hunger at bay.
Personally, I’m a ‘grazer’ - I normally eat small and often, and I find that this works well for me. By eating a few small, healthy snacks during the day, you can avoid binge eating when you do finally sit down for lunch, or dinner.
Even if your main meals are well balanced, it’s easy to put your total diet out of balance with a few poor choices in snacks.
The most important thing to be aware of is the type of foods you’re snacking on. It’s wise to allow no more than 10% of your total day’s calorie intake for high fat, or sugar items - that would be around 194 Kcal’s for women, and 255 kcal’s for men.
Remember, one or two well chosen snacks can actually help to improve your day’s total nutritional intake.
Choose foods that don’t contain too much fat, sugar or salt, and look out for those that provide you with more calcium, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Take a look at your food labels and try to choose those containing:
- Fat content up to 3 grams per 100 grams
- Sugar content up to 2 grams per 100 grams
- Sodium up to 0.1 grams per 100g
Here are my top 20 healthy snack ideas:
- A handful of frozen grapes or raspberries, or a small bowl of fresh fruit salad
- Small bowl of wholegrain cereal with semi-skimmed milk
- 2 wholewheat crackers spread with 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter or low fat cottage cheese
- A small handful of mixed unsalted nuts
- A bowl of frozen berries with low fat yoghurt and 1 teaspoon of honey
- 1 slice of lean roast beef on 2 multigrain crackers, topped with tomatoes and cucumber
- 4 mini rice cakes with 1-2 tablespoons of low fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup 100% pure orange juice, frozen and eaten as sorbet
- 1 pita, warmed, and filled with salad leaves, tomatoes and hummus
- Chopped raw vegetables with 1/4 cup of low fat dressing
- 3 handfuls of unbuttered/unsweetened popcorn, seasoned with herbs
- Small carton of low fat yogurt or fromage frais
- Small bowl of tossed salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mozzarella and 1/4 cup of balsamic and olive oil dressing
- A bowl of low fat yoghurt with 1/2 cup unsweetened granola
- 1 tablespoon of dried fruit
- 2 slices of wholegrain/multiseed bread with sliced banana
- 1 slice of crusty wholegrain bread with a thin scraping of low fat spread
- 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce with 1 slice of wholegrain bread, toasted, and cut into 4 strips for dunking
- A mug of low calorie hot chocolate
- A fresh fruit smoothie made with semi-skimmed milk
I’d love to hear what your healthy snacks ideas are as well. Please feel free to leave a comment below. If you have any other questions please email me with your thoughts.
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Nov 4, 2007
Great ideas for someone like me who has had a heart attack and therefore has to pay attention to what I eat but resents having to “give up” foods that I enjoy!
Nov 5, 2007
Paul - thanks for dropping by! Yes I agree, it’s very important that we enjoy our food, as well as leading a healthy lifestyle!
Jan 19, 2008
I agree…keeping cut raw veggies inthe fridge has always helpsed me…
Jan 19, 2008
Great tips. I’m a big fan of eating healthy snacks between meals. It’s a great way to speed up the metabolism.
Jan 25, 2008
Adam - thanks for commenting. Yes, I agree with you totally, raw veggies are a wonderful snack option to keep handy.
BDWL - thanks for commenting. Yes, healthy snacks between meals are a great way to stay on track, and avoid snacking on unhealthy foods later.
Jan 26, 2008
I love your site. It has a lot of valuable information and dieting ideas. Thanks.
Jan 28, 2008
I have given up on diets be it Atkins, high proten or “fit for life”. I have tried them all and more. Counting calories I just hate that! I do not eat food loaded with sugar, fried food, nor drink wines or soft drinks. I run 6km six days a week and there I was putting on weight when I turned 50! Apple cider vinegar helped me to lose the extra pounds and helps me to maintain my weight. It is so simple and effortless. Try apple cider vinegar and see for yourselves.
Jan 31, 2008
As a diabetic, I need to check all the labels for carb content.
You would be amazed how many ’so-called’ diet products are only marginally different from the normal. Sometimes the ‘low sugar’ version from one ‘big brand’ is actually higher than the normal version of another ‘big brand’.
Really pays to read the small print - slows your shopping down a fair bit though
Feb 1, 2008
I have low blood sugar and I eat often. In between lunch and dinner I usually eat a piece of fruit or two.
Feb 4, 2008
SWLP - thank you for your support, if you have any suggestions for other topics please let me know, I’d be happy to consider them.
Paulina - thanks for commenting. Just wondering, do you find your blood sugars are low after your 6Km run, or are they consistently low throughout the day?
Diabetes Blogger - welcome, thank you for commenting. You are spot on about labeling, it drives me crazy! We really do need to have more stringent regulations on what manufacturers can claim. Do you find reading labels gets easier/quicker as you become more aware of what to look for etc?
Feb 4, 2008
Melanie,
My blood sugar is usually low in the afternoon around 3.00 to 3.30pm. I try to eat a piece of fruit and not some sugary snack. This way I can eat healthy and stay slim.
Feb 5, 2008
I like low fat cottage cheese and strawberries. Nice afternoon snack for me.
Feb 6, 2008
Paulina - I’m just wondering if you are eating enough carbohydrates at lunchtime, as this may by why your blood sugars are dropping low each afternoon.
WL4H - thanks for your tip. Cottage cheese and strawberries - this is a new one for me, but it sounds rather good!
Feb 6, 2008
For breakfast I have a glass of fruit juice made from 1 kiwi fruit and 2 oranges, 2 wholemeal crumpets with low fat, no added sugar peanut butter and cup of soya bean milk.
Lunch I could have the same wholemeal crumpets with peanut butter and few pieces of fruits and drink plain water. Sometimes I have 2 slices wholemeal bread with avocado and alfalfa sprout instead of crumpets. If I have over ripe bananas I would make a pancake using the bananas, wholemeal self-raising flour, an egg and artificial sweetener.
Feb 7, 2008
I use dried cruchy oat based cereal. The same one i have each morning because i love it but for snacking i dont have it milk, just dry, mmmm!
Feb 7, 2008
I have always have a problem with maintain my weight even when I was much younger. As I reached menopause my metabolism must have slowed down and with hormone imbalance my weight just creedped up without overeating. As I said in my earlier post, apple cider vinegar has become my saving grace.
Feb 7, 2008
Paulina - it sounds like your diet is exceptional, well done! Many people struggle to maintain healthy eating, do you find it easy?
Claire - thanks for commenting. Yes, the crunchy oat cereals are delicious, some are a little high in sugar, but fine if small amounts are eaten.
I noticed you linked to Naturally Green, do you recommend milk as part of a healthy diet, or would you suggest something alternative?
Feb 7, 2008
Melanie,
After years of eating this way, no fried food, no food loaded with sugar or fat, carbonated drinks and stick to simple basic food like brown rice, wholemeal products, fruits, stir-fried vegetables, and grilled lean meat it just become natural. I do not count calories or weigh my food.
Feb 9, 2008
Intersting article - I’m paying a lot of attention to food labels at the moment, but it’s sometimes hard to judge the best stuff to eat - I have a lot of allergies though so my choices are limited anyway.
I’m fed up of diets, so I’m going for sustainable weight loss through small changes that will last me a long time - rather than yo-yo diets.
Feb 9, 2008
Everyone of us is different and when you find something that works for you stick with it. It’s tailored to your body’s metabolism and your life style. I have long acknowledged that fact that I am just not one of those lucky born skinny people and I always have to work hard to stay slim. I could never be skinny unless I am very sick and not eating or dying!
Feb 9, 2008
Jenny - yes it is difficult to understand some of the nutritional gargon on food labels. Sometimes I think manufacturers want us to be confused! Making small changes, little by little is an excellent plan.
Check out my recent article How to Use 10 Minutes a Day to Powerfully Change Your Life it’s along the same lines.
Best wishes!
Feb 9, 2008
Yes, reading the labels does get somewhat quicker as you go on. Mostly I end up just buying the trusted brands and avoiding those that have let me down on the labels previously.
Feb 19, 2008
My favorite snacks are air popped popcorn as well as almonds and other nuts. I believe these are often overlooked or considered unhealthy.
Feb 19, 2008
I love nuts. The ones in shells are the best for you. They are healthy but you must not over do that or you will end up with all the extra weight again. I eat them sparingly so I don’t feel deprived. Moderation is the key I believe.
Feb 21, 2008
Hi Paulina,
Absolutely agree, moderation is the key, and I think self-control is something people struggle with most when trying to eat healthy.
Feb 21, 2008
Melanie, most people have little self control. I have a friend she always says, “I am getting fat” but does nothing about it. At the table the first food that goes into her mouth is always cakes or dessert. She is complaining about problem with her knees and is waiting to have an operation on them. The first thing I would do is to lose the extra weight and her complaint would be halfed! You got to want to be healthy nobody can do it for you.
Apr 19, 2008
Hi, I like to eat japanes or chinese food in the evening.Not only veggies, just rice and chicken made in a wok with soy sauce. Maybe is only my opinion but I lost 20 pound with this method. For me it is the quickest way to lose weight till now.