Tips on Healthy Snacks and Healthy Weight Loss

How to snack?

Are you working on a Healthy Weight loss plan? Are you trying to figure out how snacks plan into that plan? There are two ways to look at snacks. One way is that snacks are something to stay away from because they are loaded with extra calories, artificial flavors, colorings, and preservatives. Another way of looking at snacks is not as something to avoid, but as something that is essential to your success.

The key, of course, is what you are choosing for a snack.

Imagine that you had a meeting or an appointment and you are late for lunch. You finally get a break and are headed to get something to eat when you get a phone call and have to put off your lunch again. By the time you are in your car looking for someplace to go eat, you are really hungry and that fast-food restaurant you swore to avoid starts looking pretty good.

The truth is the hungrier you are, the worse your food choices. The key to avoiding making bad choices is to make sure you have some healthy snacks with you all the time. Keeping healthy snacks in your purse, desk, or car, can help you avoid the trip down the wrong road. I have been known to grab a handful of something not so healthy as I am running out the door to take the kids to their sports or activities. It leads to mindless eating and calories that creep up. Planning is key.

Snacks can benefit you in other ways: Eating small meals actually helps your blood sugar and resolve.

Here are some tips for healthy snacking and healthy weight loss:

Prepare your favorite veggies as snacks. Little baby carrots or cut up celery and peanut butter work really well. I also have sugar snap peas, cut up cauliflower, broccoli and radishes in container in my fridge.
A handful of nuts does wonders to stop cravings; just don’t overdo it.
Hummus and vegetables. See my favorite recipe.
Vegetable chips
Low-fat yogurt
Grapes and berries
Frozen fruit bars
Popcorn, just watch the added oils and fat
Apples slices and peanut butter. Trader Joes Peanut Butter is my favorite
Dried fruit, cranberries, and raisins. Do watch the sugar content in some dried fruit though.
Oatmeal with berries
Sliced cucumber, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, tomatoes
Properly balanced protein and snack bars

You can even mix up one of the Shaklee Life Shakes with only 1 scoop of protein for a snack option. This is a quick and easy snack, loaded with nutrients and lean protein.