Suggestions for healthy snacks?

[ptp]

I am trying to modify my diet by adding 2-3 small snacks throughout the day so I am eating 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2-3 snacks spaced out at 3-4 hour intervals.

 

I have tried a couple of things and I am looking for other suggestions.

 

I have tried fruit (grapes, apples, bananas, strawberry). They don't work for me. Instead of decreasing my appetite, they for some reason increase it. If I skip fruit as the snack, I am not hungry(because my body starts going into starvation mode) but if I eat it as a snack, it doesn't fill me up and I am hungry immediately afterwards.

 

Protein bars - Don't like the taste too much, feels very artificial and I would like something more natural and they can be very expensive.

 

Mixed nuts - This actually works me, they fill me up, and are natural. Only problem is they are kind of expensive at my grocery store.

- Plain peanuts are cheaper but, I am not sure if they provide the same health benefits but would be willing to try them.

 

Anything other ideas?

[Star Gazer]

My favorite afternoon snack is a cup of fat free vanilla yogurt (80 cal) and 1/2 cup Kashi GoLean Crunch Honey Almond Flax (100 cal). Protein, fibe, Omega 3 and sweet crunch! Yum yum!

 

Another is baby carrots and garlic hummus. Yum yum!

 

As for why fruit isn't satisfying you, it's because you need protein with it. Try adding peanut butter to an apple - delicious and so filling!!

Edited August 3, 2011 by Star Gazer

[FitChick]

Do you have a Trader Joe's near you?

 

Nuts

Greek yogurt

Cheese: Babybel light is low calorie and portable, so is string cheese. I eat them with a few crackers and it's very filling.

Protein shakes

[PelicanPete]

I mostly just eat mixed nuts and trail mix for snacks, but I haven't really been craving those lately. Any sort of fruit, carrot sticks, and the odd protein bar is what I have been eating for snacks the past few days. You can never go wrong with a PB&J, can even switch it up sometimes and buy almond butter or grape jelly if you feel like spending a little more. Smoothies are also a really good snack, especially if you're cleaning stuff out of your fridge or in need to go shopping

[FitChick]

Another one I forgot, that is either my breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack:

 

1/2 oz dark chocolate melted on a piece of toasted Ezekiel bread with a tablespoon of almond butter. Yummy!

[quankanne]

Greek yogurt is fantastic (gotta get used to the taste, though) because of the high protein content. I've noticed that when i eat that, I don't have any cravings.

 

look for nuts at places like Big Lots, which carries off-brand names or even brand-name stuff whose labels aren't "pretty" so they get sent there.

 

pretzels also are good for salty/crunchy treats ... I'll mix with chocolate chips if I'm craving chocolate. for some reason, just a handful of semi-sweet cures the choco-urge that normally would take a big-*ss candy bar to do. Hmm. Must be the sugar content?

 

fruits and veg: get the stuff that'll take your stomach longer to process like carrots and apples, versus grapes, which have a high sugar content that makes your body crave more because it needs that sugar high.

 

nut butters are good – peanut butter, almond butter, etc.

 

and if you're not lactose intolerant, milk is really good, too. I like ovaltine added to mine

[KR10N]

I'm a peanut-butter junkie! So sometimes I'll eat a spoon full of that.

Peanut-butter spread on a slice of whole wheat.

Greek yogurt.

Peanut-butter & apples. *drools*

Granola bars.

I know you said you didn't like protein bars, but there are some out there that are organic & very good. Of course they're not cheap.

Kashi & Nature Valley make tasty snacks. Sometimes I'll get the Spongebob fruit snacks too. lol.

[tman666]

I personally disagree that nuts should be used as a snack due to their high caloric density. If you're very active, they make a good energy source. If you're mostly sedentary, you might as well be eating little "get fat" pills, IMO. They contain healthy fats and should be consumed in your diet within reason, but snacking on them tends to add a ton of calories in a hurry.

 

Fat free, plain Greek Yogurt (Fage is my favorite) is probably one of the best snack foods I would recommend. It's extremely filling, and the nutritional composition is great. You can spruce it up with some reasonable amounts of granola or fruit, as StarGazer suggested. The flavor tends to turn some people away at first, but if you stick with it, it'll grow on you.

 

I would avoid protein bars due to their high sugar/sugar alcohol content. Plus, most of them taste awful. They are fine in a pinch, but I would never recommend that anyone use them regularly.

 

Low fat cottage cheese is a good source as well.

[xxoo]

Sardines and crackers

[Star Gazer]

I personally disagree that nuts should be used as a snack due to their high caloric density. If you're very active, they make a good energy source. If you're mostly sedentary, you might as well be eating little "get fat" pills, IMO. They contain healthy fats and should be consumed in your diet within reason, but snacking on them tends to add a ton of calories in a hurry.

 

Fat free, plain Greek Yogurt (Fage is my favorite) is probably one of the best snack foods I would recommend. It's extremely filling, and the nutritional composition is great. You can spruce it up with some reasonable amounts of granola or fruit, as StarGazer suggested. The flavor tends to turn some people away at first, but if you stick with it, it'll grow on you.

 

I would avoid protein bars due to their high sugar/sugar alcohol content. Plus, most of them taste awful. They are fine in a pinch, but I would never recommend that anyone use them regularly.

 

Low fat cottage cheese is a good source as well.

 

Yup. I second all of this.

 

In short, find a snack that's voluminous and pairs both protein and fiber, and you'll find yourself full!

[jurismarie]

I've enjoying Protein Shakes

[elisheva]

kale chips. if you like potato chips these are perfect for you. it's basically dehydrated kale sometimes with elaborate toppings (cashew cheese ones are delicious) so it's good for you---you're getting your veggies not fried or boiled to a mush. if you buy them at a store like whole foods they can be really expensive ($7 for basically a one serving bag) but making them is easy no dehydrator is necessary:

 

http://vegandietitian.blogspot.com/2010/09/cheesy-kale-chips.html

 

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/

 

 

i bought a bag of kale from TJ's once, made a batch of cashew kale chips from said bag, ate whole thing in one sitting, and wasn't hungry the entire next day definitely not the best thing to do, but it is a high fiber snack so it does help curb your appetite

[denise_xo]

Here's some of the stuff that I snack on:

 

Fresh/raw sugar beans

raw pieces of swede

raw carrots

various nuts

edamame beans

cherry tomatoes

various berries

celery

[josie54]

I agree with the comment above that the reason the fruit didn't fill you up was that you didn't pair it with protein.

 

All of the suggestions here are great, but for an overall guide for you when you choose a snack, just choose something with high water and fiber content and something with high-protein.

 

So, fruit or vegetables with peanut butter (as suggested above), hardboiled egg with a piece of toast and grapes, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with fruit and a sprinkle of granola, a lowfat cheese stick (perhaps with a thinly slice piece of ham wrapped around it) with an apple, a protein shake that blends in milk/yogurt/protein powder with frozen fruit and vegetables (watch the calories on that one though), etc., etc., etc.....

 

As long as you have one protein with one high-water/fiber-content item, your snack should keep you feeling full. That formula applies to your regular meals as well.

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