Diet Friendly Snacks

That word ‘snacks’, it’s only one letter off ‘stacks’; not totally inappropriate as most of us think snacks stack on the weight. And they do depending on your definition of a snack.

A bag of cheesy crisps does not make a snack, as any fitness freak will tell you.

The dictionary defines a snack as a small amount of food eaten between meals; a dangerously ambiguous description at best. What’s a small amount? What’s a meal? To someone who defines a meal as three Big Macs, a snack is one Big Mac. To someone who defines a meal as a glass of water and a look out the window, a snack is, well, fairly dire whatever the small amount.

Clean and lean snacks under 200 calories is a good snack figure and a well-defined one at that. To save you dissecting Big Macs and helping you stop fretting over your calorie consumption, we’ll do it for you with some very satisfying and simple 200 calorie snacks.

Carrot sticks and dip

Let’s start with a great one for your eyes. Ten carrot sticks are only about 50 calories, yet full of goodness. And with 150 calories still up against your sleeve, you can go with two big tablespoons of vegetable dip and still come in under the 200 limit; a nice tasty start.

Muffin and cream cheese

Well, half an English muffin at around 70 calories to be precise. Layer on a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese for a healthy and rather delicious snack well under 200 calories.

Nuts

Easy and delicious, in a nutshell. For a quick, protein-filled and fiber-rich snack, go for almonds, cashews or pistachio nuts. They’re all a little high in calories, yet a quarter cup of one or a mix of all three can still fill a between-meals void under 200 calories.

Low-fat yogurt

It seems indulgent, but it’s not; half a cup of low fat or non-fat yogurt will only set you back about 150 calories, so you can afford to top it off with some equally tasty chunks of apple, pineapple or watermelon.

Hard-boiled eggs

This is a great way to sneak in some serious protein on the run. Boil a dozen eggs and keep them in the fridge. For a 150 calorie snack or, for that matter, a quick breakfast, peel two, sprinkle some basic seasoning and voilà you have a power-packed super food, fast and easy.

Apple and peanut butter

If it seems like an odd combination, you obviously haven’t tried it yet. Half an apple has a mere 60 calories; a tablespoon of peanut butter has less than a hundred. Combine the two for a surprisingly enjoyable snack.

Pita and hummus

This one should come in just under the 200 calorie limit depending on your pita bread. Choose whole wheat pita – half of one will be roughly 90 calories. Add in a quarter-cup of hummus for another 90 calories. Bon appétit.

Sorbets and sherbets

At less than 200 calories for a half cup, this is a nice late night or after dinner one to finish. Sherbets tend to be around the 140 calories mark while sorbets can be anything from 80 to 200. Either way, you’ve got a great sweet treat and a multitude of flavours to keep it interesting.

Learn how you can maintain a healthy weight and what should you be eating on a daily basis to stay fit in some of our previous blog posts.

Want to know more about how nutrition works? Our nationally accredited 10967NAT Diploma of Nutrition qualifies you to become a Nutrition Assistant and promote specialised nutritional solutions for weight management, exercise, sport and helps you evaluate general health, well-being, and lifestyle. Enquire now and speak to one of our career advisors for more information!