Snacks
You may think of snacks as a bad idea when you're trying to lose weight. But there's good news. Snacks aren't all bad!
Keep a healthy snack within reach, such as washed, peeled, and cut fruit and veggies stored in separate serving bags. Single serving hummus or non-fat popcorn snacks can come in handy, too.
These lower-calorie foods can help manage your weight and your hunger:
0- to 50-calorie snacks:
Iced tea with lemon.
Half a cup of carrots with 1 tablespoon of light ranch dressing (45 calories).
Three quarters of a cup of almond milk (45 calories).
Half a small banana (45 calories).
One and a half cups of air-popped popcorn (46 calories).
14 seedless red grapes (48 calories).
50- to 100-calorie snacks:
1 medium piece of fresh fruit or half to 1 cup of cut fruit.
1 cup raw veggies with 2 tablespoons of hummus.
2 saltine crackers with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter.
3 graham crackers.
1 hard-cooked egg.
100- to 150-calorie snacks:
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt with half a cup of fresh berries.
1 plain rice cake with half a tablespoon of peanut butter and half of a banana, sliced.
Half a cup of fat-free or 1% cottage cheese with a quarter cup of berries.
1 slice of whole grain toast with a quarter cup of fat-free cottage cheese.
1 ounce of pretzels.
150- to 200-calorie snacks:
Half a small whole-wheat pita bread with 1 ounce of low-fat cheese and half a cup of vegetables.
1 small corn tortilla with 1 ounce of low-fat string cheese and 1 tablespoon of salsa.
1 slice of bread with mustard, 2 slices of turkey breast, and a slice of tomato.
1 small-medium apple with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
1 cereal bar or reduced-fat granola bar.
Quick tip
Look at the nutrition label on store-bought snacks.
Granola bars can sometimes be high in sugar and calories.