Tips for snacks instead of fruit?

rubberducky88

Ok, so an idea to why I haven't been losing weight is that I am consuming too much sugar....

I usually have apples and bananas daily which is a huge source of this sugar.

Can anyone give me ideas for different snacks that aren't full of sugar?

Thanks in advance!

sarahjbyu

Cucumbers with some vinegar on them is almost no calories.

CeleryStalker

i like to slice up red, orange, and yellow bell peppers and munch on those. mmmmm

wildeone4

almonds!

bms34b

Kashi Go Lean! Cereal is only 70 calories for a half cup.
Raw Veggies are the same fresh crispness with wayy less calories than fruit.
Also, Cucumbers with lime juice, salt, and pepper, are super low cal, super delicious, and super refreshing.
And some fruits aren't so bad. Tons of watermelon is hardly anything and it's really filling.

oldscratch

almonds!

mmmmmmmmmmm yep

Mcctin65

Cottage cheese
Triskets

rmstorey

Protein snacks help keep you satisfied without all the added sugar.

One of my favorites is to take the Laughing Cow Light Swiss spread and spread it on a couple slices of deli ham, roll up, and eat.

Almonds are high in protein and lower in fat than peanuts. I get some from Sam's Club that have a light coating of cocoa powder or cinnamon on the outside, which makes them a sweet treat but without as much sugar as fruit.

Pickles are also a great snack -- most dill varieties have zero calories, and they can help satisfy cravings for salty crunchy snacks.

Kirsty_UK

nuts
olives
cheese
crackers/rice cakes

crazytxmom

Veggies. Carrots, celery, cucumbers are great for "crunchy" cravings.

Greek yogurt can be good as long as it's the plain flavor. I haven't completely adapted to the flavor, but if I put a packet of artificial sweetener in it I scarf it down. Mix in a little Fiber One cereal and you've got a high protein/fiber snack.

I love fruit (and cheese) too. They are both easy to over indulge in.

massmech8111

beef jerky, protein bars..i make my own sweet potato chips for a healthy snack..

aflane

Beef jerky. When I get the 4 pm munchies, I pull out a pouch of Traders Joe's beef jerky (it's lower in sodium and full of flavor). I eat an ounce of that (70 calories) and I'm good for 3-4 more hours. I think I have 5 pouches in my desk drawer! <lol>

icerose137

Celery sticks with peanut butter (they add up in calories fast though so watch it)
Thin sliced potatos gently salted and microwaved for 4 minutes on one side, flipped then microwaved another minute or two until crunchy but not burnt. Many veggies work in this mode, parsnips, beets, carrots, sweet potatos kale ect.
Cup up veggies with low fat dips or even plain are a favorite in my house
Nuts

Lunachic77

Trader Joes makes these really convienient packs of almonds and cashews that are actually a handful portion...perfect for on the go snacking.

Also try:

-Beef Jerky
-Babybel Light mini cheeses
-String cheese
-Pop Chips
-Mini yogurt cups
-Jello sugar free pudding cups

SarahLovesCheesecake

Cucumbers with some vinegar on them is almost no calories.

bet that stings...........ewwwwwwwwwwwww

jbucci1186

are you eating added sugar on top of the fruit? i eat about 150g of sugar a day (and have been doing so for quite some time) and I didn't experience any slow down in weight loss until I upped my calories to be closer to maintenance mode. Of the 150g, I'd say around 75% of it is from fruits. I actually had quite a mental break down over this issue, because I thought that I was going to reverse my weight loss by eating fruit, but then I talked to my doctor and she literally chuckled and told me I was being a little obsessive. While I agree about the obsessive, it was nice to be reassured by a doctor as opposed to a google search (I can't tell you how many break downs I have had due to something I read on google). basically, as long as you're active (exercise for at least an hour every day) you don't have to worry so much about fruit sugar because your body uses it to give you energy throughout the day. At least that's what my doctor said. i will say that ADDED sugar is something I try to avoid (anything with over 10g per serving, i put back on the shelf, save the occasional clif bar)

Anyway, all of the suggestions as a replacement snack so far are great, so you should definitely try switching it up! I just wanted to tell you that because it was such a HUGE concern of mine as well.

good luck!

fresenburgp

Rubberducky88, stop fearing the fruit! LOL!

Sugar isn't the culprit, it's your total calorie intake vs. output. Sugar in fruit is "good" sugar because it doesn't cause the insulin spike you would get from processed sugars. Rather than cut the fruit out of your diet try lower-sugar, lower-calorie, fruits such as berries. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are in season. Can I get a YUM-YUM!? Not only are berries lower in sugar and calories, they're packed with vitamins, fiber and free-radical-butt-kickin' antioxidants. Gooooo FRUIT!

Don't give up your apple RD88. Apples are tasty, crunchy, juicy, go-anywhere, eat-anywhere, snacks. They're low in calories and, again, have GOOD sugar. A couple other excellent suggestions are the diet-friendly grapefruit and orange. Consider keeping frozen (unsweetened) berries on hand. You can toss them in the blender with some stevia and milk, water, yogurt or even protein powder as a frozen, power-packed, guilt-free treat.

This is a good rule to live by: The closer the food is to it's source the healthier it is for you.

Here's a quick breakdown in calories per 1 cup:
Strawberries (halves): 49
Grapes: 62
Raspberries: 64
Blueberries: 80

Calories in 1 medium..:
Orange: 65
Grapefruit: 89
Apple: 95
Banana: 105

Good luck RD88, we're rooting for you!

rubberducky88

I'm so confused, people are telling me to reduce my sugar intake - but most of it comes from fruit!!

What to dooo!!

I wish this weight loss thing was easier, I seem to be doing everything right and not getting anywhere

jbucci1186

I'm so confused, people are telling me to reduce my sugar intake - but most of it comes from fruit!!

What to dooo!!

I wish this weight loss thing was easier, I seem to be doing everything right and not getting anywhere

i say ignore fruit sugar. i have been doing that for a while now and i have saved myself much stress/anxiety/worrying. you will not gain weight. unless all you're eating is fruit, you're fine! it's ADDED sugar you should be reducing. i try to keep my added sugar below 50g a day (even though MFP says i shouldn't go above 40g), these days, though, i don't even care about sugar. just make sure you're not going over your daily limit of carbs as well as stay within your daily amount of calories.

hope that helps!

EDIT-
ALSO- there was a point in time where i was so worried about going over sugar that I wouldn't eat fruit. It took some time, but a friend made a good point:
"you're not going to eat an apple because there's sugar in it? that's stupid. it's AN APPLE" and that's what I told myself for a while until I got to where I am now.

choughton01

beef jerky, protein bars..i make my own sweet potato chips for a healthy snack..

How do you make your own sweet potato chips?

jbucci1186

Beef jerky. When I get the 4 pm munchies, I pull out a pouch of Traders Joe's beef jerky (it's lower in sodium and full of flavor). I eat an ounce of that (70 calories) and I'm good for 3-4 more hours. I think I have 5 pouches in my desk drawer! <lol>

OMG i eat an ENTIRE back of trader joe's turkey jerky EVERY DAY (except when i run out, which is a sad day (and i am out today))

massmech8111

beef jerky, protein bars..i make my own sweet potato chips for a healthy snack..

How do you make your own sweet potato chips?

Take a sweet potato, cut it in thin slices...
place on a baking tray..
bake at 350 till they become chips...lol..
i have fried them too in canola oil .and used a paper towel to blot them to rid the excess..
either way is healthy...you can salt them,put cinnamon and splenda on them,or really anything ya want ..(sugar free that is)