Healthy snacks

[theworm[$]]

Ok - a lot of us are trying to eat better - cut down on fat etc. Whether you want to lose weight, maintain your weight, control your sugar levels, lower cholesterol or whatever, we have similar goals.

We all need to eat, and its not realistic to say no snacking. Snacking can actually be a great tool in reaching your goals.

So - aside from the obvious carrot slices, celery, apple slices, this thread is so that we can all post healthy snack ideas to help each other out.

[drmomentum[$]]

100 calories of almost anything is not very damaging to a diet. Especially if you're accounting for it in your diet.

An ounce or so of any dry mostly-carb food is about 100 calories.

1oz of nonfat pretzels or bread sticks.

1 oz of lean beef jerky is just over 115 calories. That's not bad. High in sodium, but if you're not hypertensive it shouldn't be too much of a problem in your diet. Just keep an eye on your sodium.

I snack on pretty much anything I want when I'm counting calories. I just have less of it, or I allow for it by eating less of other things. Makes it much easier for me to stay on the diet. Otherwise I am always craving stuff.

If you really want a hamburger, one McDonalds hamburger is 235 calories and won't kill a diet if you eat it with a few veggies on the side as one of your meals.

Put a banana, 5 ice cubes, 4 or 5 frozen strawberries into a good blender. Dissolve a whole single-serving packet of Crystal Light lemonade mix (the kind that is meant for a 20 oz bottle of water) in about 6 oz of water. Blend that in your blender until smooth. Add water if you need to thin it out. That's only 125 calories, and is a nice cool treat. I was eating these for breakfast almost every day when I was losing 1.5 lbs a week.

-JP

[emeleel]

Mmmmm, that sounds good, JP!

[lynnzop[$]]

Single servings of dry cereal are good. Crunchy, sweet, filling. I really like those Grape Nuts O's.

Frozen grapes.

Unbuttered popcorn.

Skinny Cows.

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

The problem with dry food is you don't feel satiated as much as with "wet" food. Dry snacks just don't do it for me.

There was also an article recently about water - drinking lots of water is good for you, and works if you're mistaking hunger for thirst, but if you're trying to use water to avoid snacking you'll end up bloated and hungry. But high-water content foods work. Like how 10 raisins have the same calories as 10 grapes, but you'll feel more full with 10 grapes.

[slick4591[$]]

Cantalope. Since I've started this diet I bet I've eaten five of 'em three pieces at a time for my evening snack.

[lynnzop[$]]

DILL PICKLES.

Crunch. Salt. Wet. No freaking fat or calories.

[Helen_B[$]]

Watermelon. I just have to remember to cut it up so it's ready to eat. Slices are awkward for snacking so I cube it.

[emeleel]

Yep, dill pickles are very filling for some reason! Unfortunately, here lately they sometimes upset my stomach, and I never know when it's going to happen.

[slick4591[$]]

I've thought about dill pickles, but haven't gone there yet. They are "free" on my diet.

[emeleel]

You still gotta watch the pickles, though, because of course they're loaded with salt.