by Kate Haisch

Snacks are a very important and often underrated part of the day.  With work, family, errands, obligations, it can be tough to take the time to pack a lunch much less multiple snacks.  But when it comes to weight loss, snacks really make all the difference.

When I got serious about losing weight, snacking was a hard habit to learn.  Eat more, lose weight: it just seems so contradictory!  But when I wrote a journal of my foods for the days that I snacked, I actually ended up eating less calories.  I realized that snacking kept me from overeating when it came time to break for meals.  Plus, because I wasn’t starving I made better choices.

Snack Tips:

1. Over the weekend, pre-portion snacks into little baggies or plastic containers.
2. Pack snacks that you like and look forward to eating.
3. Leave snacks out on desk so you don’t forget to eat them.
4. Eat snacks at a specific time (e.g., 10:30am and 3:00pm) – before you get hungry so you aren’t tempted by a better looking/unhealthy snack.  Set an alarm or computer reminder (I put a snack reminder in my calendar).
5. Leave multiple snacks at work so you can choose what you are in the mood for.
6. Keep an “in case snack” in your bag, purse, car and/or desk drawer, so you will always be prepared when hunger strikes.
7. Don’t eat out of the bag or container – it is too easy to overeat!  Take a portion size out and place it on a napkin/plate, etc. and eat from there.
8. Mix and match allowances, a.k.a “Food Combining” – you will stay fuller for longer.

Ideas for Snacks:

Salty

•    Low-fat microwave popcorn
•    Pita chips
•    Whole-wheat crackers
•    Baked chips
•    Pretzels/pretzel nuggets
•    Beans
•    Low-fat cheeses (laughing cow, baby bell, string cheese)
•    Nuts (watch portion size)
•    Turkey Jerky
•    Dried soy nuts
•    Wasabi peas
•    Seeds (watch portion size)

Dips and spreads

•    Hummus
•    Salsa
•    Canned refried beans
•    Fat-free ranch/blue cheese
•    Jam/jelly
•    Spreadable cheese (Laughing Cow)
•    Guacamole
•    Sweet mustard
•    Bruschetta topping

Sweet

•    Fruit
•    Dried fruit (watch portion size)
•    Flavored low-fat/fat-free yogurt
•    Frozen yogurt bars
•    Frozen fruit bars
•    All fruit roll-ups
•    Cereal bars
•    Skim milk latte with 1/2 tbsp sugar, topped with cinnamon
•    ¼ oz dark chocolate
•    Fat-free hot chocolate
•    Cereal

Other

•    Veggies (carrots, celery, bell peppers, green beans, cucumber, jicama, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower) with dip
•    Canned soups
•    Deli Slices (turkey, chicken, ham, roast beef)
•    Tuna, canned in water
•    Whole wheat breads, pita breads, tortillas

Kate’s Favorite Snacks:

Morning

•    1 apple, 4 walnut halves
•    1 Kashi granola bar, 2 tbsp raisins
•    ¼ c dry soy nuts, 1 all fruit roll-up
•    Cereal bar, ¾ c berries
•    1 hard-boiled egg, 1 orange
•    ¼ c trail mix
•    Celery with 2 tbsp low-fat peanut butter (Better than Peanut Butter), 20 mini rye toasts

Afternoon

•    6oz low-fat yogurt, ½ c high fiber cereal, 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
•    ½ c pinto beans heated with 1 slice low-fat cheese (Jarlsberg Lite), topped with ¼ c salsa (or fat-free sour cream)
•    Veggies dipped in 1/3 c hummus, 6 almonds
•    5 dried apricot halves, whole-wheat crackers (Ak-Maks) with low-fat spreadable cheese (Laughing Cow)
•    8 mini-rice cakes dipped in salsa, 15 pistachios
•    ½ c low-fat cottage cheese topped with sliced fruit, 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
•    1 oz deli turkey slices wrapped around cucumbers sliced lengthwise and dipped in sweet/spicy mustard