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3 Ways Snacks Can Help You Lose Weight

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:09:19 PST

You might think snack time is just for preschoolers, but everyone can benefit from eating a few bites between meals. Aside from filling nutritional holes in your diet, snacking can also help you on your road to weight loss. If the numbers on the scale are on your mind, here are three ways snacking can help you lose weight.

Snacks Keep Blood Sugar Levels Steady
If you've ever gone too long between meals and have gotten a headache, the shakes, and a loss of concentration, then you've felt firsthand what it's like to have low blood sugar. Snacking between meals keeps blood sugar levels steady, which can help prevent you from grabbing the first (unhealthy) thing you can get your hands on and overindulging.

Fiber Fills You Up
Choosing snacks that are full of water and belly-filling fiber will help keep you full longer, so you actually eat less in the long run. Fruits, veggies, and whole-grain breads are great options, and if you need more ideas, here are 10 high-fiber snacks under 150 calories.

No More Overeating
You eat lunch around noon and dinner isn't until 6 p.m. or later. No wonder you hit the dinner table feeling so ravenous that you stuff yourself silly. Now if you enjoyed a pear with some almonds around 3 p.m., you'd avoid that famished feeling and have the patience to prepare a healthy, sensibly sized meal. It works the other way, too. If you're eating a meal and you know you'll be enjoying a snack in two hours or so, you won't feel the need to overeat at mealtime.

How to Make Your Favorite Snacks Healthier

Leta Shy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:34:32 PST

When you're craving a salty, crunchy snack, there are many to choose from - but they're not always healthy. Here's how to make your favorite snacks that much better for you with just a few tweaks.

Popcorn: It's one of the lower-calorie snacks to choose from already, but watch out for toppings - that's where you can get carried away with fat and calories if you're not careful (just look at movie theater popcorn). Air-popped popcorn has the fewest calories - 31 calories per cup - but even using a little bit of oil will only add about 14 calories. Keep calories low by skipping the butter and salt, not to mention the prepackaged popcorn. Instead, use healthier popcorn toppings like extra virgin coconut oil, Indian spices, or "cheesy" nutritional yeast. Read more healthy popcorn topping ideas here.

Nuts: A handful of nuts can keep you satisfied and energized far longer than a carb-filled snack, and not only that, the unsaturated fats in them do you good. But if you want to get the most benefit out of the healthy fats of certain nuts (like walnuts), don't roast them, since their antioxidants may be damaged when baked at a high temperature, as most commercial nuts are. If you don't like the taste of raw nuts, roast your own at 165° Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Read on for ways to healthify more of your favorite snacks.

Healthy Snack: Vegan Cucumber Tofu Rolls

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:07:05 PST

Tofu usually shows up as part of a full meal, but it also makes a delicious and satisfying snack. Prepare tofu ahead of time and store it in the fridge to whip up these protein-packed vegan cucumber tofu rolls in a matter of minutes. If you've never cooked with tofu, this is a great no-fail recipe to try out.

Keep reading to learn how to make this savory tofu recipe.

Score a Touchdown With These Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

Michele Foley — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:12:56 PST

In my house, Super Bowl Sunday equals Super Bowl snack time. Savory items like chips, dips, wings, and pizza are standard, but I also offer up healthy, lighter fare.

Intercept empty calories, sugar, and fat by making these better-for-you alternatives to the classics. With tasty food like this, you won't even miss the guacamole, ranch dip, or chicken wings!

Make This: Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Michele Foley — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:48:51 PST

At Nopalito, a Mexican eatery in my neighborhood, every meal starts off with a complimentary bowl of spicy fried chickpeas. This snack is full of heat and crunch and sort of reminds me of spicy wasabi peas or corn nuts. Because I'm addicted to them, I decided that I would try and make a healthier version at home. Like kale chips, roasted chickpeas are a great way to satisfy a chip craving, minus all that fat, and you get all the nutritional benefits of chickpeas - namely, fiber and protein.

See the recipe when you

Super Bowl Swaps: Healthy Spins on Iconic NYC and Boston Foods

Michele Foley — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:47:18 PST

Super Bowl Sunday is days away, and for those of us less interested in the game, there's still one reason to participate: the food. For this Giants-Patriots showdown, we've taken the focus away from the field and onto iconic dishes from each team's hometown. Keep reading to see lightened-up recipes of traditional faves, from Boston cream pie to New York pizza.

A Reader Recipe: Healthy Mexican Pizzas

Fit Community — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:18:45 PST

Make these healthy bite-sized Mexican pizzas for your Super Bowl Sunday party. FitSugar reader dashingdish posted her recipe in the Healthy Recipe community group.

See the recipe after the break!

Reader Recipe: Healthy Layered Greek Yogurt Dip

Fit Community — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:06:13 PST

Super Bowl snacks don't need to be unhealthy! Take this recipe for a Greek yogurt layered dip from FitSugar reader NicoleCulver. She posted it in our Healthy Recipe community group. Don't forget to post your own recipes in the community; they may wind up here on our homepage!

Mini-Layered Dip

Small clear cups
3 avocados, mashed with a touch of salt and pepper
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 can refried beans
shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
0% plain Chobani Greek yogurt

Layer the ingredients in the cup as desired. Enjoy with chips or with a fork!

For more information on this dip check out Making Good Choices!

Ditch the Dairy: Milk-Free Snacks That Pack a Protein Punch

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:29:22 PST

Dairy products aren't the only choices when it comes to high-protein snacks. If you're eating a diet minus milk, or you just want a low-cal snack that's high in protein, check out these 150-calorie snacks that don't contain a drop of dairy.

One serving of spicy roasted chickpeas (one fourth of this recipe: 134 calories, 5.6 grams protein
Twenty-one raw almonds: 146 calories, 5.4 grams protein
Six-ounce container of vanilla O'Soy Yogurt: 150 calories, seven grams protein
One slice whole-wheat bread (100 calories, four grams protein) smeared with half a tablespoon natural peanut butter (53 calories, two grams protein): 153 calories, six grams protein
Two Mini S'mores Luna Bars: 140 calories, eight grams protein

Keep reading for five more dairy-free snack ideas.

Skip the Butter: 5 Healthy Toast Toppings

Michele Foley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:37:05 PST

A piece of whole-grain toast in the morning is a quick, no-fuss breakfast. But when you add the usual toppings of butter and jam, it becomes a vehicle for refined sugar and saturated fat. Pass on empty calories and make your toast with one of these protein-packed and heart-healthy toppings. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all!

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