Who doesn’t love to eat snacks? Everyone loves to snack almost as much as we want to lose weight. The problem with snacks, is that our snacking habits are also adding too many calories and too few nutrients to our diets without us realizing it. Most of us eat snacks out of habit or just boredom, or because we are just hungry. If you are snacking because you are bored, you should consider getting a hobby. If you are snacking because you are hungry, consider what you are eating.
It is common for us, to just raid the refrigerator or pantry and get the easiest food we could get. And, in most situations, we just simply get the snack that is unhealthy, but delicious to consume. Think of your snack as a mini-meal. If you keep eating the wrong ones, it will just keep adding up to that extra bulge you want to hide. But, if you do your snacking right, this will keep your energy levels up and will give you more opportunities to get all the nutrition you will need.
With the right ratio of nutrients and with the right calories, you will be able to help your body get energized while still losing weight. Protein plus exercise will create lean muscle mass. Fiber helps in improving digestion and keeps you away from storing fats and sugars. While there is no food that can literally burn fat, the choices we make when eating will help our body to be at its best.
Snacks that can Help Burn Fat
1.One large apple and one cup of skim milk. This can provide you with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber for just over 200 calories.
2.Enjoy 3 ounces of canned light tuna packaged in water and 6 whole-wheat crackers. This is complete with 3 grams of fiber and 20 grams of protein.
3.Combine one plain low-fat yogurt with one-half cup blueberries, one-quarter cup chopped walnuts or almonds, and enough honey to taste.
4.For your salad, combine spinach leaves, broccoli florets, tomato slices and top with one-quarter cup shredded cheese, and a tablespoon of your preferred dressing.
5.Ricotta cheese that is rich in protein paired with pears and sprinkled with a teaspoon of cinnamon can make a delicious snack plus a good source of fiber.
Snacks for Salty Cravings
1.Create a chicken pita sandwich in the morning. You can split this in half to consume for the entire day.
2.Toss air-popped popcorn with olive oil, chilli powder and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to create your own buffalo popcorn.
3.Prepare 3 carrot sticks and ¼ cup hummus and you will have 80 calories per serving.
4.You can’t go wrong with a veggie tostata. Put black beans and veggies on your tostata, plus tomato salsa for added flavor.
5.Have a Mediterranean artichoke hearts by draining a can of artichoke hearts. Sprinkle this with lemon zest, capers, chopped fresh basil and olive oil.
Snacks for Sweet Cravings
1.Make your own berry smoothie. You can also add Greek yogurt and honey to provide sweetness.
2.Have chocolate pears by sprinkling cocoa nibs on your canned pears.
3.How about your own fruity cottage cheese? Fold chopped ripe nectarines into low-fat cottage cheese, and spoon it on a couple of gingersnaps.
4.Put on a bamboo skewer some cut mango, grapes, strawberries, and pineapple to create your own fruit kebabs.
5.To make your own banana cream pie, spread graham crackers with vanilla fat-free Greek yogurt. Top this with a handful of banana slices and a sprinkle of ground flaxseed.