Prepare For Your Mouth To Water Over These Low-Calorie Snacks
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What do mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and after-dinner have in common? They’re the perfect times to grab a nutrient-dense low-calorie snack to sneak more nutrition into your day, consequently keeping hunger at bay. The perfect low-calorie snack will leave you feeling full, satisfied, and closer to your health and nutrition goals.
While snacking could lead to an increase in daily calories, choosing the right healthy snacks can benefit your health. Researchers have found that snacking increases the intake of fruit, dairy, vitamins, minerals, and high-fiber foods and also helps people avoid digestive and metabolic overload triggered by eating larger meals. In other words, snacking between meals can help you eat less overall at your next meal, while also increasing your intake of vitamins, nutrients, protein, fiber, and good fats.
Here's what to consider before choosing the perfect snack.
What to consider
Nutrients
Snacks are a great opportunity to fit in nutrients you may have a hard time getting enough of throughout the day. Whether you’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, need to eat more fiber, or hit your protein goals, think about how you can create a snack that is nutrient-rich and gets you one step closer to your daily goals.
Volume
Volume eating refers to eating foods that are low in calories, but high in volume and fiber. When you eat foods like fruits and vegetables, you can eat a lot of food for a small amount of calories. While volume eating at meals may backfire on you since you may feel full before you get the nutrients your body needs, it’s a good method for snacking, since you’ll likely be eating a larger meal within a few hours.
Satisfaction
When choosing the best low-calorie snack, it has to be one that you actually want to eat! We’ve included a variety of options, from sweet to savory, creamy to crunchy. Take a few minutes to decide what tastes and texture sound the best so you can feel fully satisfied by your healthy snack choice.
How we chose
As a registered dietitian, these snacks all fit my criteria for a nutrient-rich snack that’s still low in calories. These snacks have a combination of flavors, textures, and nutrient profiles so before you hit up or Instacart or Amazon Fresh choose which ones make the most sense for your preferences and goals.
Below, we put together 11 low-calorie snacks that are rich in nutrients and flavor, satisfying any craving and helping you eat more fruits, vegetables, protein, and fiber.
Fruit and spinach smoothie
Mix a cup each of raw spinach, frozen mixed berries, and low-fat milk in a blender until smooth. This simple fruit and spinach smoothie is naturally sweetened with mixed berries and has over 10 grams of protein thanks to the low-fat milk.
While the fruit does a good job of masking the taste of the spinach, it blends in to add extra fiber, vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K for a nutrient-rich drink that’s only 179 calories.
Per serving: 179 calories, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 29 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 11 g protein
Low-fat Greek yogurt, strawberries, and granola
This super simple and delicious yogurt parfait has just 195 calories with plenty of satisfying protein, fiber, and vitamins. Top four ounces of non-fat Greek yogurt, like Chobani, with a cup of sliced strawberries and half an ounce of sliced almonds.
Each serving has 15 grams of protein and five grams of fiber to help you stay full while also providing over 100 percent of your daily value of vitamin C! The sliced almonds on top add a little healthy fat and a satisfying crunch to an otherwise fresh and creamy parfait.
Per serving: 195 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 20 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 15 g protein
Hummus with cucumber and carrot sticks
Serve a cup of cucumber sticks and a cup of carrot sticks with a quarter cup of hummus. The carrots and cucumbers are super low in calories, but provide a lot of satisfying crunch, volume, and vitamins and minerals. Since hummus is made from garbanzo beans, just a quarter cup serving has six grams of fiber and protein.
Per serving: 206 calories, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 24 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 6 g protein
Tuna and dill salad on cucumber slices
Combine a tablespoon of plain non-fat Greek yogurt with three ounces of canned tuna (packed in water) and half a teaspoon of dried dill. Spread on sliced cucumbers for a refreshing snack that has only 133 calories but 23 grams of muscle-building, hunger-crushing protein.
One of my favorite features of this snack is that the tuna fish also provides 751 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, which is about half the amount the National Institute of Health recommends eating per day.
Per serving: 133 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 23 g protein
Cottage cheese with fresh pineapple
Top four ounces of 2 percent cottage cheese with a cup of freshly diced pineapple for a sweet and savory combo that’s loaded with protein and vitamin C. Not only will you get 88 percent of the daily value of vitamin C, but this snack is also a good source of sodium, which makes it a great post-workout snack to replenish electrolytes.
Per serving: 174 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 27 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 13 g protein
Banana slices with peanut butter
Don’t let the carbohydrates in bananas or the fat in peanut butter scare you away from this super satisfying snack. Cut a small banana into slices and spread a tablespoon of peanut butter over top. This combo is incredibly satisfying with five grams of protein, eight grams of healthy fats, and four grams of fiber.
Per serving: 184 calories, 8 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 27 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 5 g protein
Mozzarella, tomato, and basil toothpicks
Want caprese flavor in one low-calorie snack? Just skewer a fresh mozzarella pearl, grape tomato, and basil leaf on eight toothpicks. Each toothpick with its creamy fresh mozzarella pearl, juicy grape tomato, and fresh basil leaf has just 15 calories, or 115 calories for eight of them. You can even add a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar for an extra burst of flavor!
Per serving: 115 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 6 g protein
Rice cake with avocado and everything bagel seasoning
For a snack that’s loaded with satisfying fat and crunch, top a whole grain rice cake with a quarter of a small avocado, and sprinkle Everything But the Bagel seasoning over top.
When choosing a low-calorie snack, you don’t have to shy away from healthy foods like avocados. It’s all about what you pair it with and the portion. This savory combo is ultra-satisfying with almost five grams of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat from the avocado.
Per serving: 120 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 11 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 2 g protein
Cheezy popcorn
Air pop three cups of popcorn, spray gently with olive oil spray, and sprinkle two tablespoons of nutritional yeast over top. The nutty, cheesy flavor of the nutritional yeast adds the perfect pop of umami flavor while also adding five grams of protein and over 200 percent the recommended daily value of five B vitamins, including 630 percent of vitamin B12.
Per serving: 153 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 24 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 11 g protein
Edamame and soy sauce
Steam half a cup of edamame and toss it with a teaspoon of soy sauce. For an extra kick, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. These immature soybeans are high in protein, adding 16 grams to your snack, along with five grams of filling fiber. This snack is perfect for plant-based eaters and omnivores who want to sneak a little more plant protein into their diet.
Per serving: 151 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 8 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 16 g protein
Frozen yogurt grapes
Prepare a plate with parchment paper. Dip 15 grapes in vanilla-flavored non-fat Greek yogurt and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours. This sweet frozen treat tastes like creamy candy, but has less than 100 calories and no added sugars. You can make these in bulk and keep a stash in the freezer any time a sweet snack craving strikes.
Per serving: 78 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 15 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 5 g protein
Meet the expert
Kelsey Kunik, RDN, is a registered dietitian, recipe developer, and creator of Graciously Nourished.
What foods fill you up, but are low in calories?
Fruits and vegetables are high-volume, low-calorie foods, meaning they're satiating without being high in calories. They’re also often higher in fiber, which, in combination with the amount of food, can help you feel more full without adding a lot of calories to your meal or snack.
What snacks are good for weight loss?
If you’re eating to lose weight, snacks that are satisfying and high in protein and fiber can help you reach your goals. Protein and fiber both help you to feel full when you eat and protein contributes to muscle growth, which increases the amount of calories your body burns at rest.
Read more about choosing nutritious foods
Breakfast Smoothies For Weight Loss | Protein Breakfast Ideas | Healthy Dinner Recipes | Healthy High Protein Snacks | Healthy Lunch Ideas | Best Salad Recipes
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