Fitness Snacks for Weight Loss

Fitness Snacks for Weight Loss

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Fitness Snacks for Weight Loss

Losing weight can be a tough task, especially for beginners who are not aware of controlling their excess temptation for unhealthy food. Frankly, in such cases, exercising and being active might be a great idea, but along with that snacking can play a huge role. Healthy snacks can not only make you feel fuller for a longer time but also supply you with the required nutrients.

Snacking Is Good

If you want to feel satisfied between meals and keep yourself fuelled until the next meal, then mindful nibbling can be a good option. Hence, if you are looking for any kind of inspiration for healthy and nutritious snack ideas, then go ahead and read on.

Healthy Food & Snacks Is Good for Weight Loss

Certain food items are better and great for weight loss. Generally, food filled with high fibre or proteins tend to be more filling. It means that the person will feel satisfied faster and will end up eating less at each meal or snack time.

You can even try other food items that are low in calories but are high in density and volume.

Keep in mind that the more space the food takes up in your stomach, the fuller you will feel. Again, this will help you to eat less with each snack. In addition, individuals would be looking for those foods that assist in metabolism and provide a good amount of energy. Here higher energy can help individuals to burn more calories and even provide better metabolism, thereby helping the person to efficiently process food that they want to eat.

Now individuals looking to lose weight need to avoid foods having a large amount of sugar, salt, simple carbohydrates, and saturated fats. Also, you can go for unprocessed food as they are healthy compared to the processed ones that have a high amount of salt, sugar, etc.

Do you know that snacking between meals can easily help in weight loss? No doubt, snacking is a healthful option and it can avoid you from overeating and even provide you with necessary proteins, vitamins, and fibre.

Tasty and Healthy Snack to Gorge On

Some of the best snacks you can have to make your taste buds go wild and at the same time make your healthy are –

1) Protein Bars

It is not surprising to know that protein bars are a great snack. However, the biggest setback you might have in consuming protein bars is that their taste often sucks.

Besides picking one that is low in carbs and fat, you need to make sure that you choose the one that you enjoy. This will make the habit of dieting easier. Just check your nearby grocery store or supermarket for some tasty and good protein bars.

2) Mixed Nuts

Ask any nutritionist or doctor, and they would recommend you have mixed nuts. Why? Nuts are one of the best and nutritious snacks. Studies show that they help in reducing the chances of getting heart diseases and prevents certain types of cancer, depression, and other illnesses. Even though they are filled with high fat, they are still very filling. Physicians and dieticians recommend having nuts in moderation as it helps in losing weight.

Do you know that nuts have the perfect balance of healthy proteins, fat, and fibre? They have about 180 calories per one ounce serving. As one doesn’t need to keep them refrigerated, they are best to have while on the go.

3) Grilled Seaweed

Now, this is not something that you might think of as a snack, but it does a great job of satisfying your craving for food. Even though it has a very low-calorie count, it tastes fabulous. Being high in antioxidants, vitamins, and calcium, seaweed is no doubt nutritious foodstuff.

4) Red Bell Pepper with Guacamole

Do you know that red peppers are quite healthy? Of course, all types of bell peppers are nutritious, but the red ones are high in good amount of antioxidants like capsanthin, carotene, quercetin, etc. Besides that, they are rich in Vitamin C. Studies have shown that one large red bell pepper will contain more than 300% of the daily value of essential nutrients.

So, if you are consuming one huge red bell pepper with three ounces (which is about 85 grams) of guacamole, it will provide the necessary fibre to keep the snack’s calorie to under 200.

5) Nut Butter with Celery Stick

Not many people are aware that celery is one of the best low-calorie vegetables. As per the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), two huge celery stalks are equal to one cup of vegetables of 2.5 cups that provides 2,000 calorie diet each day.

Besides, celery is primarily filled with water, so it will make a person feel full. If you dip the celery in nut butter like almond butter, peanut butter, etc, it will provide the benefit of consuming healthful proteins and fats.

6) Coffee

Now among various benefits of caffeine, one major advantage is that it leads to weight loss. This is only if you take it as black coffee with no sugar and milk, and that too three servings each day. Also, it has been scientifically proven that caffeine helps in boosting the metabolic rate from 3% to 11%. Frankly, one must love coffee to make it a part of your weight-loss diet program.

7) Greek Yogurt Mixed with Berries

Berries along with plain Greek yogurt will give you a delicious and nutrient-dense snack. Furthermore, this snack is filled with a good amount of potassium and calcium along with the necessary proteins.

Berries are filled and the best source of antioxidants. If you consume a mixture of berries of various colours, you will get an array of essential nutrients. Hence, by combining 3.5 ounces (which is 100 grams) of full-fat and plain Greek yogurt along with ½ cup (which is 50 grams) of mixed berries will give you ten grams of proteins and that too under the 150 calories.

8) Yogurt

Like coffee, yogurt can be tricky. You might get various brands of yogurt in the market and some of the flavours might not be ideal for weight loss. Yogurts that are low in sugar and fat are what you must consume. As yogurt is derived from milk, it has a high amount of magnesium, calcium, vitamin B-2, and B-12 as well as protein. Well, this sounds a good enough reason to consume more of this powerful food.

9) Roasted Chickpea

Like most vegetables, chickpea is filled with essential proteins, a high amount of carbohydrates and is low in calories too. If you are having chickpea regularly, it will assist you in losing one pound just in six weeks. You can have chickpea by sprouting them or roasting them using extra-virgin olive oil and a little bit of salt.

10) Fruit and Nut Butter

If you want to have a yummy snack, then try the apple and peanut butter snack. It is not only tasty but an excellent diet-friendly snack. The best part of this snack is that you can get creative using different combinations of fruits and nut butter.

As per USDA, a medium apple will provide roughly 20% of a person’s dietary fibre and it is recommended to have one or two cups of fruits each day. Just by dipping a slice of apple in peanut butter or other nut butter will provide you with required proteins and the required fat as a snack.

11) Beef Jerky

Being high in proteins, this is commonly created at home. Basically, homemade beef jerky is made from the leanest cut of beef with no colouring, preservatives, and flavouring. In addition, beef jerky provides the best source of fat, protein, sodium, zinc, and carbohydrates.

12) Low-Fat Cheese

If you check out low-fat cheese products will provide various nutrients and lower the fat count compared to regular cheese. Some of the major benefits are –

  • Source of calcium
  • Source of protein
  • Source of other major
  • minerals and vitamins
  • Low-fat cheese will have fewer calories compared to full-fat cheese.

13) Chia Pudding

An ideal breakfast option would be the chia pudding especially if you are planning on losing some weight. Not only is it loaded with protein and fats, but it can also hold ten times its weight in water. Hence, it will make your tummy fuller for a longer time.

14) Apple Slices with Peanut Butter

Apples are high in fibre and are excellent polyphenol antioxidants that not only improve gut health but even lowers the chances of getting heart diseases. The same is with peanut butter. It provides additional benefits to your heart. Studies have shown that it will increase the HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers the LDL (which is the bad cholesterol) as well as triglycerides.

Along with that, peanut butter is high in calories. Even though it is not linked to gaining weight, still it is better if you consume it in moderation. A medium apple with one tablespoon (which is 15 grams) of natural peanut butter will not only provide the excellent balance of sweet flavour but even the creamy and crispy texture, all this under the 200 calories.

15) Smoothie

Here, by smoothie, it means the green smoothie that is made using fresh vegetables. Just by having smoothies is the best method to add some extra veggies in your diet, so this is one of the perfect ways to reduce weight. For getting better benefits, you can add frozen mango, spinach, milk, and flaxseeds.

16) Cottage Cheese Along with Flax Seeds and Cinnamon

Do you know that flax seeds, cottage cheese, and cinnamon have good health benefits? Also, they are very healthy. Cottage cheese is filled with high proteins and has a full-fat variety based CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). This is a fatty acid that is linked to various health benefits.

Furthermore, flax seeds are best for controlling blood sugar levels and weight loss. Also, they can even help in reducing the risk of having blood cancer. Studies even show that cinnamon helps in lowering one’s blood sugar and even improves gut health.

17) Pomegranate Seeds with Almond

To lose weight, nuts can be great food and among them, almonds are the best. Just pair almonds with pomegranate and you end up having an ideal snack that is best for losing weight. Pomegranate is filled with Vitamin B, C, and K. Also, they have antioxidants and provide various health benefits. The fibre and water content present in it will make you feel full and you won’t have any kind of craving for any kind of junk foodstuffs.

18) Baked Sweet Potatoes

Being high in dietary fibre, it has a low-calorie count and even a high amount of water. No doubt, all these aspects make sweet potatoes as one of the greatest foods you can have to lose weight. For extra energy, you can add some seed butter and nuts.

19) Edamame

Edamame is a kind of legume that individuals can have as a snack. It is like other legumes and is an excellent source of protein and fibre. Plus, it is high in iron, potassium, and magnesium. If people eat edamame between meals, they will feel fuller and get all the required nutrients.

20) Kale Chips

Kale is extremely healthy and is loaded with extensive antioxidants and fibre-like kaempferol and quercetin. Not only these compounds reduce blood pressure, they even lower the risk of getting colon cancer. By taking one cup of raw kale will give you more than 100% of the daily value of vitamins like A, K, and C.

21) Almonds and Dark Chocolate

Like most snacks, the combination of almonds and dark chocolate provides rich, satisfying and best portable snacks. Dark chocolates are loaded with flavanols and helps in lowering the blood pressure and reduces the risk of getting heart disease, only if the chocolate has at least 70% cocoa solids.

Furthermore, almonds are high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and have a beneficial effect on controlling blood sugar. There are various studies showing that they can easily lower one’s appetite and even assists in losing weight. Both almond and dark chocolate are high in magnesium.

Conclusion

Healthy snacks mean a healthy diet. Hence, if you are planning on following a healthy diet, then the above-given list of snacks can be a great choice.

Author

Saravavan Nadarajan (Vanan)

Vanan, fitness expert and leader at EzFit Singapore, specializes in holistic training—home-based, boot camps, and corporate fitness—with over a decade of industry experience.

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