Top 5 Healthy Weight Loss Snacks to Fuel Your Fitness Journey

What are snacks?

Snacks can be defined as small portions of foods we eat between our main meals. Snacks can be unhealthy or healthy.

What are unhealthy snacks?

Unhealthy snacks include foods high in calories from carbohydrates and fats, such as potato chips, high-sugar carbonated drinks, biscuits and cookies, and so on. 

Frequent intake of these snacks can easily lead to weight gain and also the management of diabetes and hypertension.

What are healthy snacks?

Healthy snacks like whole fruits, blended juices, nuts, and seeds are good as they not only help with weight loss but also prevent unintentional weight gain.

Here’s a list of 5 healthy snacks that are good for weight loss;

• Nuts

Ground nuts/peanuts/cashew nuts are a good source of proteins.

The high amounts of fibre in nuts are what make nuts good for weight loss. 

Nuts are easily available and easy to carry around.

Why is dietary fibre important?

1. Slows down digestion, preventing overeating.
2. Tags along phytochemicals.
3. Creates satiety, giving a feeling of fullness.

Most nuts are made through roasting which means the cooking method does not give room for the introduction of too much saturated fat. 

Nuts are also good for the heart and also help lower high blood pressure.

A good snack should be;

High in protein, high in fiber, and healthy fats, and low in carbohydrates.

• Fruits

Fruits are a good source of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K are all very important for health. 

Eating a variety of fruits will give you substantial amounts of vitamins that are essential for well-being.

In addition, fruits contain fibre that plays a crucial role in weight loss, again because of the dietary fibre in these fruits.

Fruits can be eaten whole, blended in juice, or enjoyed as a fruit salad, and each fruit can give us different nutrients altogether.

• Boiled eggs

Eggs are a good source of proteins. Boiled eggs have been enjoyed in most of our meals. 

Boiled eggs are also a good snack and are a convenience as they can be carried around with ease.

However, 3-4 eggs are enough for one week, as a moderate intake of eggs is encouraged.

Boiled eggs give you satiety, and can push you to the next meal. That’s in addition to providing protein, that helps in the building and repair of body tissues and organs.

• Porridge/ oatmeal

Porridge is one of the easiest foods to cook. It’s also a common complementary feed for our babies who’ve just started weaning. 

It is also a good snack food for both babies and adults. And can easily be enriched with other protein foods like nuts, soya beans, and fruits like lemons, just to make them even more nutrients.

• Smoothie

Smoothies are made by putting nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt, and even nuts into a blender and pureeing them.

Smoothies are very easy to make and you can make them yourself to make sure you have control over what goes into your drink and into your body.

Emphasis is to make your choice healthy, focusing on only nutrient-rich foods.

Taking smoothies is so much healthier than all these carbonated drinks that can easily lead to weight gain.

You can totally replace this as a breakfast option.