FitDay's Best of Series: Healthy Snacks
 

MODERATOR'S NOTE:

The following is a collection healthy snack tips from our FitDay Community members. They've been assembled (copied over) from many threads. Thank you to all of the contributors!

Hopefully you'll find some things in here that will help in your weight loss/lifestyle change journey.

While all foods are basically OK in moderation, this Moderator has removed any references to what he believes are not genuine "healthy choices". This was done to eliminate confusion and temptation. :)

The assembled posts were gathered from threads inquiring about healthy snacks...
- high in fiber
- low in calories
- high in protein, low in fat
- to squelch hunger
- for mid afternoon and nighttime
- for on the go

You'll find them all here!

As always, if you have any suggestions for other posts to be included, you may always PM one of the Forum Moderators.

For a late night snack try a LF yogurt-Light and Fit. They have the lowest calories. I will always drink a 16oz water or Crystal light to start with. If all else fails I get off my butt and away from the TV and go clean something. Last night I deep cleaned the bathroom and then drank more water. I completely avoided unhealthy snacking :) It's worth a try!

General Foods International coffee, the sugar free french vanilla is 25 cals a serving and is rich and creamy and satisfies a sweet tooth.

Orville Redenbacher 100 calorie pack buttered popcorn is brilliant for a salty/crunchy craving. Claussed Pickle spears come in at 5 calories a spear. These are guilt free go-to snacks. Oh, almost forgot, Delmonte makes sugar free mandarin oranges, these are SO good!

I have also heard if you wait 15 minutes the craving will go away. I don't think so! = )

My favorite snack is air popped popcorn with cinnamon sprinkled on top... I also usually have a few grapes or half an orange to fulfill sweet, juicy and munchie cravings all at once :)

100 calorie packs of microwave popcorn.

Beef jerky.

Pretzels.

Sugar-free pudding (I like Kozy Shack's rice pudding).

Triscuits and cheese.

A also end up drinking a lot of water and/or fresh brewed iced tea (with Splenda) to keep myself feeling full.

Weight Watchers has a veggie beef soup that is a "freebie" on their list. If you can get access to that recipe, it is a wonderful change from the raw veggies and nuts.

It may not satisfy a knawing hunger, but I chew gum to take my mind off that hunger pang. Part of keeping aware of how many times that right (or left, maybe) hand goes to the mouth with food is resisting the temptation to do it so chewing gum keeps the mouth chewing but not on food.

I drink hot herbal tea with some sweetener like stevia or splenda. And it takes a while to drink since its hot, and the sweetness really does mentally satisfy my hunger for sugary foods. If I'm craving crunchy, I make air-popped popcorn with I can't believe it's not butter spray. (0 calories)

Sugar-free jello, low-fat frozen yogurt, carrot sticks, sugar-free candy, apples, oranges, celery, gum...ummmmmmmmm I don't know what else. I try not to snack much! ;)

I work at McDonalds, with adds to the challenge of losing weight. But, when I'm on break I order the Fruit and Walnut snack. It's all really good. It has red and green (too sour for me!) apples, grapes, lowfat yogurt and candied walnuts. All for about 200 calories, which is decent. I order them on my breaks and sometimes order a few to take home because they're easily stored in the fridge.

Snack combos
 

Dried edamame -- I get this at Costco
Frozen edamame in individual containers - also at Costco
Baby carrots (sometimes with ff ranch)
Tomatoes
Broth or a low-cal soup that I reheat when I want a little
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Kashi Autumn wheat cereal
Refried beans
Micro popcorn
Jello
Applesauce
Canned fruit
Frozen fruit
Baked potato
Cornbread

Here are a few healthy choice snacks to keep on hand:

celery stuffed with peanut butter
string cheese
I make a huge pot of vegetable soup and have it on hand. It's easy (just pop in microwave) and very healthy.
popcorn
Laughing Cow cheese w/whole wheat crackers
small bran muffin with cup of tea
100-calorie pack of cookies (if you can resist the temptation to eat the whole box :-) Whole wheat toast with smear of nut butter w/cup of tea
baby carrots with Ranch dressing
Pickles!
ham slice on cracker
canned fruit w/tablespoon or two of cottage cheese
small corn tortilla with sprinkle of grated cheese, melted in microwave

I have found that I need a snack in the afternoon to tide me over until dinner. Some things I keep on hand:
Almonds
Carrots
Celery
Bell Peppers
Hummus
Low fat cheese
90 calorie granola bar
clementine
small apple
small banana
Lightly salted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitos)
Raisins
Yogurt
Olives
Natural Peanut Butter
Strawberries
Blueberries

Also, I tried the Wasa Crisp 'N Light crackers for the first time this week and love them. They're only 60 calories for three LARGE crackers. Have these with some light tuna salad, hummus, low fat cheese, a little peanut butter, etc.

Here are some snacks that I eat:
Almonds
Loose granola (Bear Naked Brand, etc.)
Mozzerella string cheese
Nonfat yogurt
Shelled pumpkin seeds
Natural applesauce (Motts makes these nice little individual cups)
Granola bars (Nature Valley Oats and Honey and Kaishi TLC Trail mix, I love both)
Apples
Bananas
Oranges (I love clementines)
Cherry tomatoes
Carrots
Melon
Strawberries
Grapes

...and most of all, WATER. I have a 32oz water bottle that I always keep with me. I drink 3-4 fills daily. Drinking lots of water helps keep you from getting hungry.

I have some of the 100 Calorie snacks like crasins, Clemintines, Apples, String cheese. I try have the snacks prepackaged so I don't have to worry about over eating the serving size. Also I have diabetes, so when my blood sugar starts to drop it is easier to grab things already packaged.

glass of vegetable and fruit juice-200ml-98cals
vitasoy lite 250mls and small banana smoothie 110cals
small tin of tuna canned in spring water mixed with lettuce leaves 105cals
cup of tea with 1 piece of whole grain toast with tomato or marmite on top-92cals
big bowl of chopped watermelon and yogurt-? low cal
hope that helps-thats all i snack on

A small bowl of fat free Yoplait vanilla yogurt mixed w/ plain bite size shredded wheat.

Whole wheat thin bun with either a little peanut butter on it or I'll use avocado with hot sauce.

Fat Free Vanilla yogurt smoothies with varying ingredients-frozen blue berries,
bananas, sometimes I'll add a little peanut butter. Or I'll add some low fat chocolate soy milk instead of 1% milk. Very filling, usually gets me through the later half of the day. I bought one of those mini blenders for smoothies- makes it way easy.

I'm always munching on fruit- depending what's in season.

I try to stay away from trail mix- I usually woof the whole bag if I'm not careful and blow up my calorie intake.

Snack recipe
 

I live in a family of tortilla chip aficianados. I've done this recipe a few times now and it seems to go over pretty well:

Take a package of whole wheat pita bread (you can use other kinds if you prefer; I just bought onion and am going to try that this weekend). Cut the pitas into triangles or strips and separate the layers. Place on a cookie sheet and spray with olive oil (I use a mister), then season with a pinch of kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, or oregano...or any combination that sounds good to you. Bake at 350 till just brown and crispy.

These are great with salsa, hummus, or any other kind of dip that you prefer. They seem more satisfying than tortilla chips to me, are much healthier, and are a lot less expensive than the pita chips in stores.

I have used the "Pam" olive oil version and it's okay...just more chemicals than the olive oil in a mister.

For me, snacks are very important. Some of the things I eat alot of are:

cucumbers (very filling and low cal)
cottage cheese (high protein and fat free)
100 calorie bagels (very filling)
sugar free chocolate pudding (still very rich)
Sugar free jello (basically a free food)
carrot sticks with fat free ranch
grapes
Bananas (easy to carry in purse)
natural apple sauce
Kashi Sunshine cereal (very yummy finger food)
Special K protein plus cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk (feels like a meal)
Wheat thins
Greek yogurt (very high protein)

I usually have almonds, yogurt, carrots, raisins and oranges around to stave off my cravings. Having things that you can eat raw around is better than having to cook or prepare something all the time. :D

10 baby carrots with hummus
1 part-skim mozzarella cheese stick
1 oz almonds
8 oz. skim milk

A Campbells product. Microwavable, 80 to 120 cal (depending on variety), and very satisfying on a cold winters afternoon. I keep a can or two at work for those long hours between lunch and dinner.

I like baby carrots but I also make little sandwiches.
Mini whole wheat tortillas with a little lettuce and cheese in them.
I also like almonds but I don't eat many of them.

Buffalo jerky
Hard-boiled eggs
Dried fruit (mangoes, raisins, mulberries, pineapples)
Nuts (almonds, pecans, peanuts)
Avocados
Pumpkin seeds
Pine nuts
Milk (whole, fills you up quick)
Wasabi peas
Cherry tomatoes


And I've recently started eating whole carrots Bugs Bunny style.

I get the fat-free Fudgesicles that are the size of a single popsicle, 60 calories. The sugar free version is 40 calories. Satisfies the desire for ice cream ;)

Pudding cups, I usually get the Kozy Shack "no sugar added" variety, chocolate is my absolute favorite, but I generally eat the tapioca, because it has 30 fewer calories (70-100 calories depending on the flavor).

Carrot sticks dipped in veggie dip made out of Greek yogurt (150 calories).

Apple slices dipped in caramel flavored Greek yogurt, this is a great pick-me-up and around 200 calories, with a whopping 14 grams of protein to boot.

Micro popcorn, Act II 94% fat free - usually the whole bag unless I'm forced to share it (105 calories).

Frozen blueberries in vanilla honey yogurt (132 calories).

Small handful of nuts, usually almonds, but sometimes cashews (I like cashews better, but sometimes eating them makes the cravings worse). What I really want is to eat the whole can, so I have to be careful with them. First I measure out the amount (usually 1 oz), then close the can and put it back into the far back of the pantry cupboard and get a giant glass of water. Then I eat the nuts 1 at a time and take big gulps of water in between, and I won't let myself eat the last nut until the whole glass is gone (172 calories).

Tuna with a little squeeze of ff ranch salad dressing stuffed into fresh mushroom caps, sometimes broiled, sometimes cold - it's an acquired taste (approx 200 calories depending on the salad dressing).

Oranges, I usually go for an orange when I'm really hungry and craving something sweet. There are days I could eat it peel and all, but so far I've resisted that urge and managed to get the peel off beforehand (62 calories).

I love anything frozen, so I've been making my own popsicles with all kinds of things. The best ones were with frozen sugar-free chocolate pudding, but the frozen chocolate royale Atkins shake wasn't none too shabby. I also love a good smoothie, and well if you have a little leftover that makes a dynamite popsicle too. And if you're craving apple pie, Dannon makes a fantastic apple pie Lite & Fit yogurt.

I know it might sound boring sounding, but just..... fruit is great. A nice fruit salad is ideal, natural, low calorie and the variety is almost endless.

I eat hummus or salsa with veggies (nix the pita/tortilla chips to keep the calories down). I also like a slice of lunchmeat (just watch the sodium content) and a piece of low fat cheese with some mustard. Hard-boiled eggs are great too.

Coffee or hot tea are great fillers for me when I'm feeling snacky and don't have calories to play with.

Jello Sugar Free puddings are about 60 cals per serving.

Hot tea is a good one to stave off an attack.

Light cheese sticks, Jerky of some kind. Almond butter w/ apple slices.

-I drink a lot of herbal tea in the winter
-high fiber low cal crackers--certain Wasa brands
-any kind of veggie
-I generally bake 2 small sweet potatoes per week and use them as snacks
-glass of milk with vanilla and fake sugar in it--makes a great milk shake
-fat free yogurt mixed with fruit, cocoa powder, or vanilla--and maybe some splenda although I'm trying to cut back on my fake sugar intake
-25 calorie hot cocoa from swiss miss
-meat cold cuts--turkey breast, ham, or roast beef
-chickpeas
-sliced tomatoes
-grapefruit

- Hard boiled eggs
- Strawberries
- Cucumber slices
- Frozen veggies (cooked :p)
- MORE WATER with lemon slices

Snack recipe
 

These little balls of heaven are EASY and HEALTHY* and AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.

4 ingredients: walnuts (1 c.), dates (1 1/3 c.), cocoa (4T), vanilla (1t).

1 utensil: food processor, blender, magic bullet, whatever result: divine Takes under ten minutes to prepare from start to finish. Pull everything out of the pantry, blend, roll into balls. Done.
;):D

Almonds (no salt), Sunflower seeds (hulled) and Popcorn help get me through my snack attacks!

I dip a banana in the sugar free chocolate pudding it makes me think that I'm splurging by eating a chocolate covered banana. It is wonderful.

MMM.. a cup of frozen strawberries in the food processor with ehh 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk! Yummy homemade ICE CREAM!!

And Watermelon (in season of course!)

I like to cut up a cucumber at night and squeeze a lemon over it along with chili powder and a little cayenne pepper, and let it refrigerate over night for the next day's snack.

handful of almonds
hot tea
apple w/teaspoon peanut butter
english muffin (wheat or sourdough) with teaspoon peanut butter
greek yogurt with frozen blueberries or strawberries
slice of lunch meat (sliced by butcher in deli) wrapped in romain lettuce leaf and slice of cheese
hard boiled egg with dollop of light mayo on top
sugar snap peas (raw)
celery w/light cream cheese or peanut butter
triscuits w/light cream cheese and slice of cucumber on top

One of my favorite snacks is Jello sugar-free fat-free pudding with fat-free coolwhip. I put it in little half-cup serving containers with a crumbled up low-fat graham cracker at the bottom. That really helps when I get sweet cravings. I also like to wrap up veggies (spring mix, cucumber, tomato, yellow peppers, etc) in a lite whole wheat tortilla with a wedge of lite Laughing Cow cheese (the herbed kind). Yum!

I LOVVVVVE salsa- so a snack to me that is great is: white chedder rice cakes topped with a little salsa.

Alternative bagel w Laughing Cow light cheese wedge- 145 cal.
Low fat ice cream shake w almond milk, protein powder & flax (8 oz. for 200 cal.)
Frozen grapes
Peanut butter filled pretzels
Special K protein bars

I have a sweet tooth, so I buy bags of sugar free hard candy. There are crystal light candies and werther's (sp) sugar free candies at Walmart.

Also, mixing a packet of diet coco mix (25 calories) with plain instant oatmeal is good too...or adding sugar free jam to the oatmeal.

Also, sometimes just giving in to your cravings is best, otherwise you might end up binging (like I do).