When it comes to weight loss, you know that snacking can be an important tool. Having a little something-something every few hours keeps your metabolism humming and your blood sugar on an even keel.
Smart snacking can work wonders on your waistline, but it can be a challenge to find options that keep thesugar low and the protein and fiber high (who wants to read nutrition labels when you’re hungry?). This list of the healthiest snacks in the supermarket. Each will provide a slow, steady supply of calories to keep you full all day—and lean for life.
Best Fiber Bar: Fiber One Chewy Bars Oats & Peanut Butter
Per bar: 150 calories, 4.5 g fat, 9 g sugars, 3 g protein, 9 g fiber
With about a third of your day’s recommended fiber intake, this is the ideal snack for those days when your produce and whole grain intake are below par, and you want to keep things, well, moving.
Best Whole Wheat Cracker: Triscuit Original
Per 6 crackers: 120 calories, 4 g fat, 20 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber
Snackable and stackable, these crackers are a great standby at home or in the office.
Best Flavored Cracker: Wheat Thins Fiber Selects Garden Vegetable
Per 15 crackers: 120 calories, 4 g fat, 22 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 2 g protein
These crackers, made from whole grain wheat flour, gives this tasty snack a massive hit of belly-filling fiber. Add them to your diet for a quick fix (and speaking of thin, cleanse out your toxins and lose weight with our Ultimate One-Day Detox.)
Best Potato Chips: Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips
Per 12 chips: 140 calories, 7 g fat, 18 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein
Part chip, part cracker, and all good. These nibbles provide 20 percent of your daily dose of vitamin A, and they’re gluten-free.
Best Vegetable Chips: Terra Exotic Harvest Vegetable Chips
Per oz (about 16 chips): 130 calories, 6 g fat, 16 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 3 g fiber
This fun mix of carrots, blue potatoes, and kabocha squash boasts 40 percent less fat than potato chips and enough fiber to take the edge off your hunger. (Plus they look pretty on the chip ’n’ dip platter.)
Best Pretzels: Newman’s Own Organics Spelt Pretzels
Per 20 pretzels: 120 calories, 1 g fat, 23 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 4 g fiber
Spelt is a grain related to wheat but with more fiber and protein, and the fact that it’s organic is just a bonus. Pair these with a hunk of cheddar to rope even more protein into your snack break. (Just don’t eat too much salt. Avoid these Bloaty Foods That Make You Look Fat.)
Best Popcorn: Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop! Pop Up Bowl Butter
Per 6.5 cup serving: 120 calories, 2 g fat, 25 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein
The mini bags serve a dual function: They keep you from overeating and they do away with the need for a popcorn bowl. Keep a few bags tucked into your desk at work, and a fiber-rich snack will never be far from reach. If you want an even lighter alternative, we have another popcorn you should check out in our collection of the 4 Essential Snacks for Weight Loss.
Best Vegetable Dippers: Cal-Organic Carrot Dippers Snack Packs with Ranch Dip
Per package: 110 calories, 9 g fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber
These baby carrots come with just enough ranch to kick up the flavor without burdening you with a nutritionally nullifying load of fat, and each serving has 60 percent of your day’s recommended vitamin A.
Best Plain Yogurt: Fage Total 2% Greek Yogurt
Per 7-ounce container: 150 calories, 4 g fat, 20 g protein
Greek yogurt has more than double the protein of standard American-style yogurt. Make it a simple parfait by adding fruit, nuts, seeds, or granola. Not all Greek yogurts are created equal. We found the Best & Worst Yogurts by type, so you could find the best one for your tastes.
Best Cottage Cheese: Fiber One Lowfat Cottage Cheese with Fiber
Per ½ cup: 80 calories, 2 g fat, 10 g protein, 5 g fiber
Cottage cheese is famous for its abundant supply of complete protein, but the 5 grams of fiber come from the addition of a natural plant compound called inulin. Top your curds with canned or fresh fruit for an ultra-sweet snack (or dessert!).
Best Snack Bread: Pepperidge Farm Swirl 100% Whole-Wheat Cinnamon with Raisins
Per slice: 80 calories, 1 g fat, 3 g protein, 2 g fiber
Cinnamon toast is usually little more than sugar and starch, a decadent duo with love-handle repercussions. Go with the whole wheat variety and you can snack without the guilt, even if you opt for a second slice.
Best Spreadable Cheese: The Laughing Cow Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil
Per wedge: 35 calories, 1.5 g fat, 2 g protein
Keep one of these cheese wheels in the office fridge to fight on-the-job hunger. Spread a couple wedges over whole wheat crackers and you hit both major benchmarks of satiety: protein and fiber.
Best Chocolate Milk: Organic Valley Lowfat Chocolate Milk
Per 8 fl oz: 150 calories, 2.5 g fat, 9 g protein
Chocolate milk is the perfect drinkable snack before you head in for a workout. The sugar fuels your muscles for maximum power, and the protein helps rebuild them afterward. If this is your go-to snack, you have to click here for our Chocolate Milk Diet (it really works)!
Best Flavored Yogurt: Chobani Nonfat Blueberry Greek Yogurt
Dannon LIGHT & FIT® GREEK
Per 1 container: 80 calories, 0 g fat, 12 g protein, 7 g sugar
Scoop into the plump, juicy blueberries beneath our creamy Greek nonfat yogurt and give it a swirl for a treat that tastes so satisfying, you won’t sacrifice a thing.
Best Peanut Butter: Smucker’s Natural Chunky Peanut Butter
Per 2 Tbsp: 210 calories, 16 g fat, 7 g protein, 2 g fiber
You’ll find no added oils, sweeteners, or fillers in this jar—just peanuts and salt. Stay within the snack-size calorie range by eating one tablespoon with crackers or two tablespoons with baby carrots or celery.
Best Alternative Nut Butter: MaraNatha Organic Raw Almond Butter, No Salt, Creamy
Per 2 Tbsp: 190 calories, 17 g fat, 7 g protein, 4 g fiber
Almond butter has more heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids than peanut butter, and it’s just as convenient. Try smearing some over apple slices for a tasty blend of sweet and savory. Almond butter is just one of our 10 Best Brainpower-Boosting Secret Foods
Best Hummus: Sabra Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
Per 2 Tbsp: 70 calories, 4.5 g fat, 2 g protein, 1 g fiber
If you don’t already keep hummus stocked in your fridge, add it to your shopping list right now. The creamy puree of chickpeas and sesame seeds carries a balanced mix of protein, fiber, and healthy fat, and it pairs well with just about anything you can dip.
Veggie Pirate’s Booty
Calories: 130, Serving Size: 101 puffs, 0g Trans Fat per Serving
Crafted from puffed rice, corn, and a medley of fresh vegetables including spinach, kale, carrots and parsley, all baked to perfection.
Trader Joe’s Mini Ice Cream Cones
Calories: 70, Serving Size: 1 cone, Sugars: 5g
An ice cream cone with only 70 calories? Oh, yes. It’s small, you say? Well, yes, indeed it is small in stature. But flavor? Big. Oh, yes. Trader Joe’s Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones are big on flavor. Each easy-to-hold wafer cone (nifty how we incorporated this practical information into the name, don’t you think?) is filled with rich, creamy, ice cream – ice cream, we hasten to add, that’s significantly richer and creamier than what you’ll find in other cones – dipped in a rich, chocolaty coating. They’re simple, for sure; and oh-so wonderfully satisfying.
Article Source: http://www.shape.com/
