Quick, delicious, and healthy snacks for adults and kids to promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Healthy, snacks to lose weight and live better.
On a diet and looking for some yummy and healthy snacks to keep you fuller, longer? Looking for healthy snacks for your family to promote weight loss or a healthier lifestyle? Looking to crush junk food cravings with a healthier alternative? Listed below are healthy, easy, and convenient snacks, great for both kids and adults, to help you reach you weight loss goals, as well as satisfy your cravings for a tasty treat.
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Down the Vegtabless for Low Calorie, Low Fat Healthy Snacks to Promote Weight Loss
Get your metabolism moving midafternoon with some of these crunchy and healthy snacks. Full of vitamins and fiber, vegetables are an ideal choice when looking for something to munch. Colorful and delicious, vegetables satisfy your hunger craving and keep your waistline shrinking. Here are some yummy vegetable snacks.
- Baby carrots and humus
- Celery, chopped, with your choice of nut butter
- Bell pepper slices, red, green, orange, or yellow
- Broccoli, with your choice of low fat dressing
- Snow peas
- Sliced mushrooms
- Sugar or snap peas
- Mouth popping sized grape tomatoes
- Sliced radishes
- Salsa
- One serving 100% vegetable juice
- Cup minestrone or vegetable soup
Humus, nut butter, and dressing are all high in calories, so make sure to use portion control. You only really need one serving, so around one to two tablespoons should do the trick. Also, watch the sodium in the vegetable juice and soup, opting for a low sodium option when possible.
Quick and Delicious Healthy Snacks to Shed Pounds: Fruits
If you are in the mood for something sweeter, listed below are fruits that make delicious and healthy snacks. Vitamin and fiber packed, fruits are an excellent snack to reach for next time you feel hunger coming on.
- 1 mango
- Cut up melon, including cantaloupe, watermelon.
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Small banana
- Dried cherries, blueberries, figs, prunes, or cranberries
- Pineapple
- Unsweeted applesauce
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Cherries
- 1 plum
- 1 peach
- 1 tangerine
- 1 pear
- ½ grapefruit
- Real fruit popsicle
- 1 kiwi
- Cubed papya
- Strawberries
- Small smoothie
Dried fruits can contain a lot of added sugar, so again, make sure to practice portion control with your servings. Many tinned fruit also contain added sugar or corn syrup so, if you can, reach for the fresh versions instead. Melon is an especially good choice as this delicious fruit is full of water and fiber, making it especially filling.
Dark Chocolate as a Tasty and Yummy Healthy Snack to Lose Weight
If looking for something a little sweeter then fruit, reach for some dark chocolate. That’s correct. Chocolate. According to the Mayo Clinic in 2008 dark chocolate can be included in a healthy diet. Although dark chocolate is high in fat, dark chocolate, over 70%, is also full of fiber and antioxidants. A square a day, about one to two ounces, should do the trick. In moderation, dark chocolate is an excellent snack to keep you energized and shedding pounds.
More Filling and Tasty Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss: Healthy, Lean Proteins
Protein builds muscle mass and makes you feel fuller, longer. Here are some delicious, protein-filled snacks to sink your teeth into.
- Lean turkey, ham, or chicken lunch meat
- Serving of chickpeas
- Non-fat or low-fat yogurt, preferably unsweetened
- Non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
- A glass of soy milk or skim milk
- A serving of almonds
- A serving of walnuts
- Seeds, such as sunflower or pumpkin
- Chunk light tuna in water
- Veggie burger
- Low-fat string cheese
Make sure to practice portion control with seeds and nuts especially. Although these healthy snacks contain healthy fats too much of a good thing can really be too much of a good thing. Dish yourself out a serving and forgo eating out of the container.
Another Filling and Popular Nibble for Weight Loss: Low-Fat Whole Grains
Whole-grains are a great snack to tide you over to your next meal. Make sure when purchasing whole-grain snacks to read the nutritional labels and purchase products with high fiber content and made with real whole-grains. Many products claiming to be whole-grain are actually made with enriched flour. Make sure you have the real deal when finding your tasty afternoon nibbles.
- 1 whole-grain granola bar
- A serving of whole wheat crackers
- 1 packet instant oatmeal
- ¼ whole wheat pita, with humus
- 2 sheets low-fat graham crackers
- A serving of your favorite whole-grain cereal, dry
- A couple cups of popcorn
- Half a whole wheat English muffin or slice of whole-grain bread with nut butter
- Rye crisp cracker
- 1 frozen whole-grain waffle, with berries
Again, watch your portion control on the humus and nut butter and stick to one serving of only about one to two tablespoons.
Mix and Match Snack Items for a Healthy Snack to Your Liking
Remember, feel free to mix and match items to create a healthy snack to fit your taste buds. Have a black bean veggie burger with your favorite salsa. Add your favorite fiber filling berries and a sprinkling of your favorite whole-grain cereal to your yogurt. Mix chick peas with some of your favorite veggies and greens for a tasty protein filled salad. Maybe munch on a serving of almonds with a serving of your favorite dried fruit and dark chocolate chips. Be creative and find snack variations that keep you satisfied and on your diet.
Eat Better for Less: Tips for Saving Money on Healthy Snacks
You don’t have to break the bank to provide yourself or your family healthy snacks. Scan the aisles for healthy items on sale and stock up, buying healthy items in bulk. Buy fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits when in season and freeze for later use. Many frozen versions of your favorite berries are cheaper then fresh, and are just as delicious and nutritious.
Questions to Ask Before You Reach for a Healthy Snack
You might want to ask yourself a few questions before you reach for a healthy snack. Such as, am I really hungry? You might just be thirsty. So make sure to keep hydrated, drinking those eight recommended glasses of water a day. If you can’t remember the last time you drank something, have a non-caffeinated, unsweetened, mug of herbal tea or guzzle down some water.
You also could reach for a piece of sugar free gum. Chewing on gum can give you a boost of flavor without the calories.
Healthy Snacks and Eating Alone Won’t Guarantee Weight Loss
Diet alone won’t help you reach your weight loss goal. Exercise is an important component of weight loss. For tips on how to save money on exercising, see Exercise for Less Money. By eating better and exercising, you can achieve your weight loss goals and live healthier, and better.
Having trouble staying on your diet? See Tips on How to Stay on Your Diet and Lose Weight for practical pointers on how to reach your weight loss goals.
For healthy breakfast ideas see Easy, Fast, and Healthy Breakfasts.
