What makes a food good for weight loss?- If you choose healthy, whole-food options with a lot of protein and nutrients, snacks can be integral to weight loss. In general, foods that are high in fiber or protein tend to be more filling. This means a person will feel satiated faster and may eat less at each snack time or meal.
If you want to lose weight, then avoid foods that contain large amounts of:
- salt
- sugar
- saturated fat
- simple carbohydrates
Unprocessed foods are good choices because many processed snacks contain high levels of sugar, salt, or both.
Do you know that snacking between meals can help with weight loss? Healthful Snacking can help prevent someone from overeating as well as provide vitamins, fiber, and protein.
List of Healthy/Helpful Snack to Loss/shed Weight
1. Hummus and vegetables
Hummus is a traditional Mediterranean dish that people make from puréed chickpeas. Due to its growing popularity, there are often several flavor options for premade hummus dips available in stores.
2. Red bell pepper with guacamole
Red bell peppers are extremely healthy. Although all bell peppers are nutritious, red varieties are particularly high in antioxidants like beta-carotene, capsanthin, and quercetin (6Trusted Source). They are also rich in vitamin C. In fact, 1 large red bell pepper contains over 300% of the daily value (DV) for this nutrient.
3. Low-fat cheese
Low-fat cheese products offer many nutrients and lower fat counts than regular cheese. Some benefits include: source of protein, calcium
and other vitamins and minerals.
Low-fat cheese also contains fewer calories than full-fat cheese.
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4. Greek yogurt with berries
Greek yogurt is high in protein and calcium and low in fat and calories. A person can safely add fresh fruit or nuts to Greek yogurt to improve its taste and add nutritional value. The best Greek yogurt for weight loss is the plain variety. Greek yogurts with flavoring will often contain extra sugar, which is not good for weight loss.
5. Cottage cheese with flax seeds and cinnamon
Cottage cheese, flax seeds, and cinnamon each have impressive health benefits. Cottage cheese is high in protein and very filling, and full-fat varieties boast conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid linked to health benefits (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
For this recipe, mix the following ingredients in a small bowl:
- Half cup (80 grams) of cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of ground flax seeds
- Half teaspoon (5 grams) of cinnamon
- A dash of stevia or other sweetener, if desired
7. Dark chocolate and almonds
Dark chocolate and almonds make a rich, satisfying, and portable snack.
Dark chocolate is enriched with flavanols that may lower blood pressure and reduce heart disease risk, provided the chocolate contains at least 70% cocoa solids.
Both dark chocolate and almonds are high in magnesium and can help you lose weight.
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8. Hard-boiled eggs
Eggs are one of the healthiest and most weight-loss-friendly foods you can eat, because they contain plenty of protein, as well as vitamins K2 and B12.
Eggs are incredibly filling and may reduce the number of calories you eat for many hours, which should help you lose weight.
Although their high cholesterol content gave them a bad reputation for years, more recent studies suggest that moderate egg intake doesn’t have any effect on your risk of heart disease.
Two large, hard-boiled eggs contain about 140 calories and 13 grams of protein.
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10. Edamame
Edamame is a dish of steamed unripened soybeans and a great snack for vegetarians or one who enjoys their unique flavor and texture. It is also high in folate and several minerals, including iron, magnesium, and manganese.
It is also rich in the antioxidant kaempferol, which has been shown to cause weight loss and lower blood sugar in animal studies and really helps in shedding weight.
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Conclusion
Eating healthful snacks can play an important role in helping a person lose and manage weight. If losing weight is important to you, then look out for snacks that are low in sugar, fat, and salt. The snacks must be filled with fiber and protein.
Beans, nuts, and raw vegetables and fruits are often good choices that will help a person feel fuller and provide necessary nutrients.
For more, visit healthline and medicalnewstoday