Healthy snack tips?

[Alexandria_]

Hello there,

I'm starting a new healthy eating plan and sticking to it this time!
I was wondering what kind of snacks you all eat in between meals?
The only things I can think of is fruit smoothies, fruit or cut vegetables.

Thank you

[EvilWombatQueen]

Veggies are better than fruit for weight loss as they're lower in natural sugars, hence lower in calories. However, you may want to look at higher calorie snacks depending on your overall calorie intake and how much protein you get. Adding a small serving of unsalted nuts to your snacks can help you stay full for longer, it will add healthy nutrients to your diet and it can make up calories if you are falling too far below your recommended calorie intake. Low fat dairy products can also add protein to your diet.

Have you visited CalorieKing.com.au? You can sign up for a free profile and they will recommend a daily calorie intake. Enter what you eat and how much you exercise for a couple of days to see if you need to cut down on calories in your snacking or if you need to have a few extra calories. You can track how much protein, fibre and salt you're eating to determine what sorts of snacks would be best for you.

In the meantime some healthy snacks are:
Rice cakes with hommous, low fat cheese or a small amount of peanut butter.
Sliced vegetables with salsa.
Home made vegetable soup.
Fruit (many would recommend that you don't have more than two pieces per day because of the natural sugars in them).
Dried fruit and nuts (high in calories, so use sparingly. These are very high in good nutrients as well so if consumed occasionally they are very healthy).
One trick I learned here on the forum is to use sliced cucumbers as you would normally use crackers. You can add healthy toppings to them for all of the crunch but a fraction of the calories.

[Alexandria_]

Thanks so much for that!
I discovered that nut tip today actually - I had a bran cereal with some chopped nuts, and I stayed full for hours.
I really like that cucumber idea, I definitely think I'll be using that.

[greenstripes2039]

-Yoghurt, plain is best coz theres less added sugar and flavouring, with fruit if thats what you want.
-Vitaweets with lowfat cheese and some lettuce, or light peanut butter.
-Roasted cherry tomatoes taste quite nice too rather than just plain uncooked ones.
-Carrot sticks, although very cliche are really great with a bit of light philly or homemade hummous. You can use celery or cucumber too, if thats what you like.
- sultanas or dried apricots, but not too many.
- unsalted cashews or almonds
- Fruit of course, but try cut fruit if you are preparing it to eat-- somehow cut fruit is always much better than just eating it whole. You could try frozen berries too!!
- Small bowl of cereal (like 15g with 1/2 cup of lowfat milk)

[Princess Juki]

I'm really loving the mini packets of rice crackers that Fantastic makes

[kotobird]

I created a great mini-meal/snack today - If you know of Mountain Bread (sold at Coles and Woolies/Safeway), you get one piece of that, and a small apple. Grate the apple, spread over one half of the Mountain Bread, sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, or other spices you like, then fold it over. Put it in a sandwich press, or a non-stick frypan (no oil/butter required) and toast it until the apple is hot and slightly cooked. Tastes like strudel!! And only about 125 calories

[Butterfly_Dawn]

Oooh I like that healthy strudel idea.... might give that a go.

When I was seriously going well with my weight loss my snacks were often a fruit salad with yoghurt and a sprinkle of muesli in the morning for morning tea and in the arvo it was usually either a handfull of fruit/nut mix or more often cut up vegies and hommous (the combo of fibre and protein is quite filling).