WW Recipe of the Day: 24+ Healthy Weight Loss Snacks
When you are trying to lose weight, it's tempting to try to see how long you can go without eating. But, it's really not a great idea because it can backfire on you.
Going too long between meals can make you tired and cranky. (It sure does me, anyway.) It can also work against your weight loss efforts if you end up overeating later.
What's the point of starving yourself all day if you end up eating a whole day's calories and more from dinner through bedtime?
That's where healthy snacks come in. I'm not talking about mindless munching on junk. The key is to be strategic with your snacking.
When you are really hungry, the right kinds of snacks can give you the stamina to power through your day and lose weight, instead of getting caught in the chocolate and caffeine trap. (Or even worse, the starve and binge cycle.)
3 Basic Rules for Healthy Snacking
- Never snack if you are not hungry.
- Include some protein in your snacks. Protein keeps you feeling fuller longer than fat or carbs.
- Choose real foods, not highly processed manufactured snack packs.
What foods help burn belly fat?
Turns out that there are a number of foods that help you fight belly fat including:
- Asparagus
- Avacados
- Bananas
- Beans
- Berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries)
- Broccoli
- Canned Tuna
- Chia Seeds
- Chocolate Skim Milk
- Citrus Fruits (Oranges, Lemons, Grapefruit)
- Dark Chocolate
- Eggs
- Green Tea
- High Fiber, Low Calorie Soup
- Kiwifruit
- Lettuce
- Nuts
- Salmon
- Whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, bulgur)
Is snacking good for weight loss?
There are mixed opinions about whether snacking is good or bad for weight loss. Some believe that it’s healthy, while others think it can make you gain weight.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Both the desire to snack and snacking’s effects on health appear to be highly individualized. Factors that influence snacking include age and beliefs about whether this practice is healthy.
Clearly, eating a healthy snack is better than letting yourself become ravenously hungry. This can lead to poor food choices and overeating at mealtime. However, it’s important to make your snacks healthy ones.
What is the best late night snack for weight loss?
There is growing evidence that eating late at night could make weight management more difficult. But if you’re truly hungry late at night — rather than just bored, tired or stressed — eating a snack under 200 calories shouldn’t result in any significant weight gain.
Related: 7 Simple Healthy Late Night Snacks
The best option is a small, nutrient-rich snack under 200 calories such as:
- Small banana with a tablespoon almond butter (170 calories)
- 1 ounce of shelled pistachios (160 calories)
- 4 whole wheat crackers with one stick of reduced fat cheddar cheese (160 calories)
- ¾ cup of no sugar added oatmeal with 1 tablespoon raisins (160 calories)
- 6 ounce container plain non-fat Greek yogurt with ½ cup blueberries (170 calories)
- ½ cup shelled edamame (150 calories)
- Hard boiled egg (72 calories)
- Medium apple (95 calories)
Related: Clever Ways to Curb the Nighttime Snacking Urge
What should I eat in between meals to lose weight?
When a person satisfies their hunger with healthful snacks, they are much less likely to want to eat unhealthful foods or go over their calorie limit which is great when you want to lose weight.
Some foods are better for weight loss than others. In general, foods that are high in fiber or protein tend to be more filling. This means a person will feel full faster and for a longer time period.
Foods that are low in calories but high in volume or density are also a good option. The more space a food takes up in your stomach, the more full you will feel.
Related: Healthy Snacks for Weight Watchers with SmartPoints Values
Weight Loss Snacks
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- Apple slices with 1 tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter
- One-half cup nonfat cottage cheese and a piece of fruit
- One-half cup raw vegetables (carrots, celery, red bell pepper, etc.) and 2 tablespoons hummus
- A cup of broth based vegetable soup and 4 whole grain crackers
- A hard-boiled egg and a piece of fruit
- Half an English muffin with 1 tablespoon pasta sauce and 1 ounce low-fat mozzarella cheese baked till bubbly
- Six whole grain crackers and ⅓ cup water packed tuna, drained
- Twelve whole almonds and 6 dried apricot halves
- A thin slice of whole wheat bread with 1 tablespoon peanut butter and banana slices
- A medium apple or pear with 1 stick of low fat string cheese
- Three ounces turkey and sliced tomato on 1 thin slice whole-wheat bread
- One-half cup nonfat Greek yogurt and 1 cup fresh strawberries with drizzle of honey
- An ounce of pretzels with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- Ten baked low-fat tortilla chips and ⅓ cup fat free black bean dip
- One ounce of reduced fat cheese and 4 whole-grain crackers
- Two stalks of celery with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- Six ounces vegetable juice and ⅛ cup mixed nuts
- One Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb wedge spread on cucumber slices
- One-half cup fat-free Greek yogurt with 1-½ tablespoons no sugar added all-fruit spread
- Two slices white meat turkey rolled in 2 lettuce leaves
- Three to four cups Air-popped popcorn
- One cup blueberries with ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt and tiny drizzle of maple syrup
- One-half cup nonfat cottage cheese with ½ cup crushed pineapple in juice
- An ounce of dark chocolate and a small decaf non-fat cappuccino
- Steamed edamame
- Red bell pepper strips with 2 tablespoons guacamole
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes with an ounce of low fat mozzarella cheese
- Two to three ounces canned salmon or sardines
- Two to three ounces marinated artichoke hearts
- ½ cup part skim ricotta cheese mixed with a teaspoon cocoa powder and pinch of sweetener
- Small whey protein shake
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*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
You might also like:
- 5 Favorite WW Protein Bars with 4 SmartPoints or Less
- 23+ Healthy Lunch Ideas for Weight Loss
- What's the Best Breakfast for Energy & Weight Loss?
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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An outstanding share! I've just forwarded this onto a colleague who was conducting a little research on this. And he in fact ordered me breakfast because I found it for him... lol. So allow me to reword this.... Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to talk about this matter here on your internet site.
VICTORIA
VERY helpful! I have a co-worker who has given me tips she used when on Weight Watchers that I absolutely love! I'm going to Jamaica and well i'd like to swim with the fish instead of them swim away from me. So i'm looking for small snacks for work that are filling and healthy. So if anyone was on WW and can offer some ideas. My co-worker gave me 6 Triscuits and a wedge of Laughing Cow and boy was it a delight!!! Thanks Guys!!
Snack Rezepte
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June
Celery with laughing cow wedge! 1 pt. and amazing!
Or they have think thin protein bars and snack size ones as well that are like candy, so....for a good satisfying treat eat half the portions for only 2 Pts! So yummy! Like little Valentine chocolates! You can have 4! Or all 8 for a meal at only 4 Pts! So good!
Martha McKinnon
Hi June, Thanks so much for the yummy healthy suggestions!
Angella Laos
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