Snacking and Weight Loss
From AlaskaClinic
When trying to lose weight, snacks are off limits.
Answer: False
Eating more often throughout the day can actually help you lose weight. By eating small, healthy snacks a few times a day, you can avoid binge eating when you sit down for lunch or dinner. The trick is finding the right type of healthy snack for weight loss. Treat your snack like a mini meal, with a healthy mixture of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Here are a few between-meal suggestions to tame your hunger: yogurt with granola, light cheese and whole grain crackers, hummus with carrots, or an orange and a small handful of nuts.
A packaged snack at the grocery store is one serving.
Answer: False
It is not uncommon to find packaged snacks with three or more servings. There's only one way to be certain, check the label. Manufacturers must include nutritional information per serving, as well as the number of servings contained in a package. So, if your favorite snack comes in a package with six servings, measure one serving into a separate container. Otherwise, you may end up eating six times the amount of calories and fat given on the label. Be sure your healthy snack for weight loss is low on calories and high on nutrition.
To feel full longer, eat a snack with protein and fiber.
Answer: True
While other types of snacks can make you full initially, a snack combining fiber and protein can keep you full -- making it the ideal healthy snack for weight loss. That's because fiber and protein are digested more slowly in the body than other substances we eat, keeping the food in your stomach longer. Fiber also swells in the stomach and helps create a feeling of fullness. Most high fiber foods are also high in water and low in calories, making them great diet foods. Try these tasty fiber and protein combinations: apple + peanut butter, whole grain cereal + soy milk, broccoli + bean dip, or celery + cottage cheese.
100 calories is the limit for a healthy snack for weight loss
Answer: False
While a 100 calorie snack may be a good choice for some, it may not be appropriate for everyone. That's because individuals have different eating patterns and calorie needs based on age, gender, and physical activity level. If your calorie need for the day is 2000 calories and the meals you eat contain 1500 calories total, you have 500 "snack" calories to play with. That means you could have two snacks of 250 calories each, or two 150 calorie snacks plus a 200 calorie snack. It's important to remember that beverages count towards your total daily calories and must be factored in as well. Plan healthy snacks for weight loss that fit your personal eating pattern.
For effective weight loss, only snack when you're really hungry
Answer: False
Being on a diet doesn't mean you have to be hungry. In fact, frequent snacks help keep your weight in check. Grab a balanced, well-portioned snack about every three to four hours. Eating this often will help keep your blood sugar from dipping, which can cause you to eat the wrong things in the wrong portions. In fact, according to the American Dietetic Association, even late-night snacking isn't off limits. Whole wheat pita bread and hummus, bean dip and baked tortilla chips, or peanut butter on whole wheat crackers are all good options.
Reviewed by Charlotte Mathis, MD, December 2006.
