Most people don’t realize that making a few simple changes to your diet can do wonders in helping you achieve your weight loss goals. It comes down to simply replacing the unhealthy snacks in your diet with healthy ones. The surprising part is that a lot of these healthy snacks actually taste pretty darn good. Unfortunately it is still very difficult for most people to stay away from the junk food. When you’re in the mood for a snack, or you need something to hold you over in between meals, it can be very tempting to just grab a candy bar or a bag of chips.
Greasy potato chips, cream-filled donuts, or your favorite candy bars are often packed with a ton of sugar and unhealthy preservatives. There are however plenty of healthy snacks out there for people concerned about their weight. The trick is finding the ones that both taste good and can help you reach your weight loss goals at the same time. Below is a list of 7 healthy snacks that fit the bill.
1. Celery and Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Instead of crunchy potato chips, indulge in 2 full stalks of celery and ½ a cup of low-fat cottage cheese. This is a delicious, filling snack, and can be made even better with a little lemon juice or sea salt. There are only about 92 calories in this snack, as opposed to 160 calories in only 14 potato chips.
2. Crackers and Tuna
Instead of having that reheated cheeseburger from the dollar menu at your local fast food restaurant, create a delicious snack with half a can of tuna, 5 whole wheat crackers, and a bit of hot sauce. This is actually one of my favorites. Compared to the 440 calories you’ll find in the average cheeseburger, this snack only has 107 and it still tastes great.
3. Oatmeal and Fresh Strawberries
Skip the fatty milkshake and have a healthy snack of oatmeal and strawberries. Just 1 cup cooked oatmeal mixed with 3 diced strawberries will do the trick. Oatmeal is certainly healthy, but the best part is that it fills you up quickly. Your snack of oatmeal contains 160 healthy calories while the milkshake provides a whopping 440 calories.
4. Bananas
Skip the glazed donuts and snack on a delicious banana. Bananas are loaded with potassium, as well as carbohydrates, the body’s number one source of energy. In addition to that, the banana only has about 114 calories, while a medium donut contains about 225.
5. Black Beans and Cheddar Cheese
Instead of running to your favorite taco joint for a couple of soft tacos, indulge your craving for Mexican food with half a cup of cooked black beans topped with some reduced fat cheddar cheese. Add a teaspoon of hot sauce and some pepper, and you’re good to go. With this delicious snack, you’re getting a lot of protein and about 192 calories, while a few tacos from the fast food restaurant would have totaled more than 400 calories.
6. Cantaloupe
Don’t settle on that ice cream cone just yet. Instead, choose 2 delicious cups of fresh cantaloupe. You’ll be getting twice the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C, but you’ll only be getting about 112 calories. The ice cream cone isn’t too bad, with a total of about 140 calories (vanilla soft serve), but it isn’t loaded with those cancer-fighting vitamins and anti-aging antioxidants that the cantaloupe has.
7. Yogurt and an Apple
Choose a half cup of plain, low-fat yogurt and a sliced, medium apple rather than the apple pie you’ve had your eye on. Yogurt provides calcium, which is essential for healthy bones, and it’s another healthy snack that is great for weight loss. With the apple, you’ll be consuming about 200 calories, which is less than half the calories you’ll find in a single slice of apple pie.
While it’s not always easy to choose healthy snacks over junk food, the weight loss results will be well worth it. With a little creativity and research, you can keep healthy snacks on hand that you’re just as excited to eat as the unhealthy ones that are dripping in fat and calories.
