Low Calorie Snacks and Other Healthy Snack Choices

By Maire Brody

If you are trying to lose weight, eating low calorie snacks instead of fattening ones can make a real difference. Making healthy snack choices, in fact, can be just as important as what you eat for your main meals. This is because many people, often without realizing it, munch on various foods all day long. This can add many unwanted calories to your diet.

There are some things you need to cut out, or at least cut back on if you want to eat healthier snacks. This includes soda, candy, donuts, potato chips and most snacks sold in vending machines. If you buy "healthy" energy bars or energy drinks, be sure to read the ingredients list to see how many calories and how much sugar is used. Sometimes these products are not much healthier or low fat than their "unhealthy" counterparts.
One very obvious fact that is still worth noting is that the more you eat of something, the more calories you are taking in. This is hardly a brilliant scientific discovery, but it's something that is good to keep in mind no matter what you are eating. There are some foods that are quite healthy but not especially low in calories.

Many nuts, for example, such as cashews, walnuts and almonds, are high in protein and healthy fats. These make an excellent snack. However, if you regularly eat large quantities of nuts, you may find it difficult to lose weight. So the verdict on nuts is that if you are trying to lose weight, eat a small quantity of nuts, perhaps in a trail mix that includes dried fruit. If you are not trying to lose weight, then eat as many nuts as you want! This is not meant to be flippant; people who are not overweight still should watch the kind of snacking they do.
 
Low fat or non-fat yogurt is a great low calorie snack. It can also be eaten at breakfast or lunch. It's best to start with a plain yogurt and add your own toppings. This way you can control what you put into it. Usually when you buy pre-made mixtures, they are sweeter and higher in calories than they need to be. You can add all kinds of healthy things to yogurt -dried or fresh fruit such as blueberries, peach, goji berries, strawberries, etc. You can also add moderate amounts of a natural sweetener like honey, pure maple syrup, stevia or agave nectar.

If you like potato chips, there are several good substitutes that are healthier and less fattening. These include rice cakes and vegetable chips. If you shop in the natural foods section you can find all kinds of all natural or organic vegetable chips. Some brands also make low sodium or salt free chips if this is a concern for you.
Salads are good and versatile as snacks. You do have to watch what you put in them. At a salad bar, for example, you often have some fattening choices like potato or macaroni salads and dressings. If you make your own salads you can still make them tasty while skipping the high calorie items. For a dressing, you can use oil and vinegar. If you find that too plain, you can find some healthy dressings or you can make them yourself. The real trick with dressing is to use a small amount. If you do this, in fact, no dressing will be fattening.

These are just a few low calorie snacks you can think about trying. If you make a conscious effort to make healthy snack choices and pay attention to your snacking habits, you can more easily achieve your health and weight loss goals.