If you aim to lose weight or stay fit on a healthy way, choosing the right type of calories is more beneficial than simply cutting down on the overall count of calories. We’ve all learned from our experiences that a certain amount of calories received from sugar snacks is not going to satisfy your hunger the same way as the same amount of calories of protein would. So, by choosing snacks high on protein you can keep both your body well nourished and keep the food cravings throughout the day under control!
1. Apple Slices with Nut Butter
Back to the basics: slices of apple topped with any kind of nut butter. Additionally, you may want to use almond butter instead of peanut butter, since almond butter is known for containing a more diverse and nutrient-dense nutritional profile. Whatever your choice, always look for natural nut butters that are low on preservatives and sugars.
2. Chocolate Berry Shake
If you don’t have a lot of time and want a simple protein packed shake, try mixing 1 scoop of chocolate flavored protein powder, 1.5 cups of soy milk and a handful of frozen berries of any type and throw them in the blender. Blend until smooth and fluffy.
3. Turkey Rolls
If you feel like having poultry for a snack today, try rolling a few slices of sliced turkey around a piece of low-fat cheese. Easy to fit and carry around!
4. Beef Jerky
It’s best If you can get it homemade, but even if you can’t, you could always find a good replacement in the supermarkets – opt for a product that’s natural and preferably free of preservatives.
5. Chocolate Soy Milk
Since soy milk is a well-known source of protein, when that infamous craving for something sweet gets to you, try adding two tablespoons of cocoa powder and one or two tablespoons of sugar to a cup of soy milk and enjoy some chocolate soy milk!
6. String Cheese
String cheese is both tasty and high on protein. Choose a low-fat variant and combine it with your favorite fruits or veggies.
7. Hummus and Veggies
Hummus, the simple dip of chickpeas, olive oil, salt and lemon juice, is very rich in protein and can easily keep the blood sugar levels balanced, thereby providing great help in resisting a sugary snack. But instead of eating it with bread or some other baked snack made from flour, try pairing it with vegetables like celery, slices of bell peppers or carrots.
8. Nuts
Need something both salty and nutritious? Nuts always make a great choice, but mind the serving size to keep the calories in check!
9. Soy Milk Oatmeal
Oatmeal, the classic breakfast choice, can be also used as a healthy and filling snack in the middle of the day. Use soy milk instead of regular milk and add some fresh berries or fruits to cheer it up!
10. Sunflower Seeds
An excellent source of essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants, sunflower seeds are crunchy and tasty – one handful a day can help keep your cravings satisfied.
11. Shrimp Cocktail
You can precook and peel them and then keep them frozen for a quick snack whenever you feel like it. Dressed up with some cocktail sauce, they make a great low-calorie choice!
12. Soy Milk Latte
For an ideal break in the middle of your hardworking day, mix equal amounts of soy milk and coffee and enjoy a latte that gives you a nice hit of protein and caffeine at the same time!
13. Tuna Salad Wraps
Tuna is low on calories and high on minerals, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. Spread one-third of a cup of tuna combined with a tablespoon of mayonnaise (preferably low-fat!) on a leaf of lettuce.
14. Egg Muffins
Experiment with egg muffins with cheese and bacon or sausages as they are an ideal mouth-watering carb-free snack.
15. Cottage Cheese and Fruit
For a snack that’s good for your health and actually keeps you full longer than your regular sweets, try adding some sliced fruits to half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese.
16. Mini Cheese Platter
Size is everything – those big Italian-style platters of cheese are delicious but won’t help your diet plans. Make a mini cheese platter by dicing a low-fat pepperjack cheese stick and mixing it with a small portion of nuts and slices of fruit or any kind of berries. It’s a cheese-flavored snack that satisfies both the cravings for something sweet and something salty!
17. Hard Boiled Eggs
Keep it simple and high-protein by hard-boiling two eggs, cutting them in half and adding a pinch of salt.
18. Veggie Burger with Pico de Gallo
You know that veggie burgers are not strictly reserved for vegetarians, right? If you feel like having a hot snack, add some fresh flavor to your favorite version of a veggie burger by coating it with some pico de gallo. This snack can be easily made into a tasty lunch by cooking two burgers and pairing them with a salad and a few slices of fresh avocado.
19. Peanut Butter Banana Shake
Peanut butter and bananas are best friends in the world of flavorful protein shakes! Simply combine half a sliced banana (you can always keep some prepared in your freezer) with two tablespoons of peanut butter powder and 1.5 cups of soy milk and blend until smooth. Ideal after an amazing workout!
20. Baked Apples and Soymilk
You fantasize about having an apple pie but you don’t want to compromise your low-carb diet? Indulge your sweet tooth with a healthier variant – skinny baked apples with a big glass of soy milk.
Reprinted from FitnessandPower.com
By Zack Zeigler
You can breathe a sigh of relief. We’re going to spare you the lecture filled with impractical “rules” for what you should or shouldn’t eat at the salad bar. Instead, we’re going to level with you about how to refine a few of your salad bar habits with some practical tips.
Don’t worry, that doesn’t include discussing table napkin etiquette or a brief history of the salad fork (that’s the smaller, shorter fork, by the way). But it does include tips for how you can eat the foods you want while keeping your diet in check.
Mistake #1: You Don’t Realize Salad Isn’t “Free”
You might avoid the iceberg and head straight for romaine, kale, spinach, and mixed greens, but it doesn’t take much to ruin what could be a healthy meal. Calorie-dense add-ons like shredded cheese, pasta, or those crunchy sesame noodles won’t cause your spare tire to inflate…if you are mindful that they are much higher in calories than nutrient-packed veggies like cucumbers and peppers, or fruits like apricots and tomatoes. (We know, we know—some of you consider tomato a vegetable. The outcome of the Supreme Court case Nix v. Hedden [1893] says you’re wrong. Yes, the Supreme Court seriously spent time deciding that.)
Mistake #2: You Eat Too Much “Good” Fat
Fats are essential. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in salmon, eggs, olive oil, avocados, and nuts can help fight disease and regulate cholesterol levels. But an ounce of fat also contains more than twice as many calories as an ounce of carbohydrates or protein, so a truck-sized load of “good” fat on your plate still spells bad news for your gut.
Don’t avoid fats entirely. Just don’t pile ‘em on. Use the thumb rule. When you’re adding a serving of a fatty food, use about a thumb’s worth. Generally, you don’t need more than two thumbs’ worth of fat on a salad, so maybe a wedge of avocado and a small spoonful of chopped nuts. (And you thought thumbs were just for rating movies.)
Mistake #3: Your Plate is Monochromatic
No need to hit every shade on the color wheel, but a hodgepodge of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens does more than pretty up your salad; it adds variety to your diet and delivers a variety of essential nutrients—particularly phytonutrients, which are unique to fruits and veggies—when consumed.
“Darker color veggies like broccoli, spinach, peppers, and carrots have the most nutritional value,” explains Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD, about phytonutrients. “But each color—red cranberries, white onions, orange carrots, green peppers—has different antioxidant properties and different ways to protect against things like cancer or heart disease.”
Since variables like your sex, age, and how active you are determine how many fruits and vegetables you should consume per day, let this plug-and-play calculator from the Center from Disease Control and Prevention crunch the numbers for you.
Mistake #4: You Avoid Carbs
If you’ve turned your back on carbs, fearing they’ll make you fat, it’s time to put your hat in hand and apologize to them. Carbohydrates don’t make you fat (hint: lettuce—and all other vegetables—are carbs); consuming too many calories does. So if you’re training hard, you most likely want to go heavier on the healthy carbs, given they’re your body’s primary fuel source.
“Body weight can increase after a carbohydrate-rich meal because carbs hold water in the body,” Clark says. “When you carbo-load, for every ounce of carbohydrates you store in your muscle as glycogen, you store about three ounces of water. So when someone eats a bunch of pasta and wakes up the next day feeling like they’ve gained two pounds, they have gained water weight, not fat.”
Mistake #5: You Really Love Dressing
We’ve all done it; after pouring our blood, sweat, and tears into making a perfectly balanced salad, the whole operation goes kablooey after we drown it in an inch of dressing.
“Put the dressing in a side dish, dip your fork into the dressing, and then stab a forkful of salad,” she suggests. “You can also dilute the dressing with water, vinegar, or even some milk if it’s a creamy dressing.” Clark adds, “A little bit of dressing on a big salad can be a lot of dressing. Say three tablespoons of dressing is 200 calories. If you have six tablespoons worth of dressing, that’s 400 calories. So if you’re using all of it, you could have had a piece of pizza.”
For a healthier dressing dressings, try using a few spritzes of olive oil and vinegar or this Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing, Healthier Ranch, or our take on Thousand Island.
Reprinted from teambeachbody.com
