Dietitian Approved Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss

Excessive snacking can cause unwanted weight gain. Yes, even healthy snacks! But the best way to prevent snacking isn’t self-control and restricting calories, it’s balanced and satiating snack combos that keep you fuller, longer! This strategy naturally helps you slash calories and have all day energy! Keep reading to learn what snacks for a weight loss a dietitian recommends that also provide additional health benefits. Plus these provide all day energy and easier weight loss (really, fat loss!)

What is a healthy snack?

Snacking plays a crucial role in maintaining energy levels and preventing the dreaded midday slump. But not all snacks are created equal, especially when it comes to managing blood sugar levels. And if you’re wanting to lose weight, it’s extra critical to make functional choices. To make smart snacking choices, it’s important to set certain standards for your snacks. There are three essential criteria to consider when choosing snacks: 

• wholesome, real food, ingredients

  
  

  first and foremost I would focus on foods that are in their most natural form. Processed foods have their place, but when we can stay rooted in one ingredient foods our health always benefits from it! Avoid added sugar, artificial colors and flavors, along with sugar alcohols as much as you can.

• rich in protein

  protein is key at turning off hunger and dropped hunger hormones so you can live without food noise! Ensuring that you eat enough protein throughout the day and that it’s present at your snacks can be a game-changer for your health and weight loss goals. 

• rich in fiber 

  sure, fiber provides motility and movement in the gut, but it also serves as a fluffy filler to make you feel satiated too! And, fiber naturally ferments in the gut to provide more diversity and beneficial growth in your microbiome. You might be surprised to know that most Americans are constipated and most of them don’t eat enough vegetables or fiber. Only 1 in 10 Americans eat enough daily fiber which negatively impacts weight loss goals and overall health. 

By following these guidelines, you can keep your blood sugar steady, feel satiated, and enjoy sustained energy throughout the day.

Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss

Healthy Protein-Rich Snacks: The Key to Sustained Satisfaction

Protein is a satiating nutrient that helps stabilize blood sugar levels and prevents sudden drops in energy. Incorporate protein into your snacks to enhance their blood sugar benefits:

Fruit and Protein Pairings

• Instead of eating fruit alone, combine it with protein-rich options like a Paleovalley meat stick or a hard-boiled egg. This combination balances the natural sugar (fructose) from fruit and provides a longer-lasting energy boost. Fruit is a very healthful choice but it functions as a quick energy source and so it’s pairing with fat or protein is optimal for longer sustained energy!
• Greek Yogurt with Toppings. Opt for plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt, which is higher in protein than traditional yogurt. Add toppings like fresh berries, nuts, or seeds for extra fiber and nutrients.
• Low Fat Cottage Cheese with cucumbers, everything but the bagel seasoning and balsamic vinegar. This may sound like an interesting combo, but the flavor is so delicious and it’s rich in satiating protein and flavor! You could switch it up and add diced baby tomatoes and avocado, as well!

Grab-and-Go Healthy Snacks with Protein

When hunger strikes, accessibility is key.  These are a few of my favorite high protein snacks! Opt for snacks that are efficient, easy to carry, and readily available. Protein-rich options are particularly beneficial for blood sugar control. Consider these accessible snack ideas:

My favorite hack: Purse Jerky! #Pursejerky

Keep a pack of high-quality jerky in your bag for a protein-packed and convenient snack on the go. A few jerky’s I keep on rotation:

1. The New Primal
2. Chomps
3. Paleo Valley 

High-Quality Protein Bars

Look for bars made with wholesome ingredients, minimal added sugars, and are both high in protein and real-food fiber. Keep them in your desk drawer or bag for quick nourishment. Choose protein bars made with real-food ingredients and a balanced macronutrient profile. Look for bars with at least 10-15 grams of protein and minimal added sugars. They’re a convenient and nourishing snack option for individuals with hectic schedules.

1. BTR Bars: Protein Bars made with added adaptogens including reishi, maca, and cordyceps. Adaptogens are great to add to your diet because they have unique abilities to help our bodies adapt to stress, boost energy levels and enhance our overall well-being. 
2. Healthy Eating on the Go Bars: This is your Perfect Bar dupe without all the added sweetener (honey is a sugar) and half of the calories. Many of their protein bars have no more than 4g of added sugar and they are a great option to share with the whole family. I highly recommend trying these flavors: Low Carb Chia, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate Blueberry and Chocolate Mint. Use code WHITNESS for a discount.
3. Resist Bars: Protein bars that are keto, vegan, blood sugar friendly, and support your hormones. Read more about Resist Bars here. Balanced bars like these can provide sustainable energy and support blood sugar control.

Fat and Fiber: Pair Carbs with Sustaining Nutrients 

Protein and protein bars have their place, but there are other macronutrients that provide benefit in the healthy weight loss cateogory, too. While carbohydrates can provide quick energy by themselves, they need to be paired with fat and/or protein for sustainable energy. This can prevent you feeling the need to “eat the whole bag” of whatever snap, crackle and pop snack you grabbed out of the snack pantry! This evidence-based combination slows down digestion, preventing blood sugar spikes and crashes. At Whitness Nutrition we use the “Fat + Fiber equation” for a midday snack success! 

Try these Fat + Fiber snacks!

• Individual Bags of Nuts: Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. And, a little bit goes a long way. I love pre-portioned bags – ¼ c or ½ cup containers to grab when hunger strikes. Use raw or dry roasted; most nuts are roasted in inflammatory seed oils and can double the calorie content quickly! And while nuts are mostly fat, they also contain some protein:
  • • • Peanuts are high in protein, with 9.5 grams of plant based protein per ¼ cup serving. 
      • Almonds are a close second with 7 grams of protein per ¼ cup serving.
      • Pistachios are another great option, with 6 grams of protein per ¼ cup serving. 
• Elavi Bars: Gut-friendly, nutrient-dense functional snack bars that are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, non-GMO, no refined sugars, and decadent in taste. They’re like an actually healthy fiber one bar. 
• Veggies and Dips: Don’t rely solely on carbs like chips or crackers for long-term energy. Instead, focus on healthy snacks like fresh vegetables. Choose options such as cucumber, bell peppers, or carrots. Pair them with dips made with healthy fats like hummus, nut butter or guacamole. Alternatively, you could pair your celery or carrots with peanut butter! This provides a sweet salty combination full of heart healthy fats. 
• A Gratisfied Almond Butter Bar is a great choice for a well-balanced bar made with real food ingredients. These bars can solve your hunger woes when a full on meal may not be available. And while it may not be as protein-dense as the previous bars, it’s packed with 27g of healthy fats in addition to 16g of protein. That ratio is ideal for long lasting fuel! 
• Use a complex carbs like almond flour crackers, bread, or fresh fruit, paired with hard-boiled eggs, deli meat, or a tuna salad made with Safe Catch tuna (Use code WHITNEY20 for 20% off!). This protein and carb combination promotes balanced blood sugar levels and keeps you feeling satisfied for longer.

Foods to avoid for weight loss (and their healthier swaps!)

Alternatively, it’s important to be aware of the foods that could deter your weight loss goals. Although it’s possible to make all foods fit well into a healthy and balanced diet, I would be lying if I said that come foods are harder than others. These are a few of the common foods that my patients consume and tend to find themselves stuck in a weight loss plateau because of it. Be mindful and really make sure you understand the function of food (become a label reading expert!) as you choose healthy snacks. It’s incredibly difficult to make healthy choices all the time because we are constantly being marketed to, but take extra precaution when you approach these particular food categories and you’ll be more successful because of it!

Trail Mix

Instead of trail mix that tends to be heavy on dried fruit and chocolate, try a mix of raw nuts with pumpkin seeds and air popped popcorn. This mix is chock full of heart healthy fats from the nuts, fiber from the popcorn whole grains and the pumpkin seeds act as a source of protein! Plus, popcorn is a naturally low calorie food; you can eat *cups for 100 calories. 

Potato Chips

Instead of potato chips try another crunchy option like roasted pumpkin seeds, Wilde Chips, seaweed snacks or popcorn/lentil chips that are naturally higher in fiber and provide essential nutrients. Alternatively, you can pick a chip that is higher in fiber and made with a heart healthy oil like olive oil or avocado oil. I like Pulp Chips, which are higher in fiber from the vegetable pulp they utilize in the recipe. I also like both Siete Chips, Jackson’s Honest Chips and Lesser Evil Foods popcorn made with either ghee, avocado oil or olive oil! 

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a heart healthy fat and a great way to provide satiety to meals but people often try to utilize peanut butter for their protein intake. This is where the use of peanut butter quickly becomes an excessive calorie issue. Peanut butter is largely fat, and because of that, it’s also concentrated in calories. I love that a little bit (2TB) of fat goes a long ways and I can get almost 100% of my daily needs in 4TB. But, this also means that individuals who are constantly added nut butter to every meal, may find that instead of actually meeting their protein goals are well over the limit with their fat and calorie needs for the day. If you like the taste of peanut butter but want to add more protein to your diet, consider utilizing PB2, or defatted peanut flour, as a flavor enhancer in baking, oatmeal, or a protein smoothie! 

Nutrition can be really confusing and overwhelming! Whether it’s healthy snacks, meals, or high protein breakfasts, the information is daunting. Have you ever wondered, “How much protein do I need?” Learn more about how much protein women should get daily in our blog post here or book a discovery call to learn more about your individual nutrition needs and work with a dietitian! Some of the photos in the post may have been sourced from getty images.