What do you snack on?

nikki_dw
nikki_dw Posts: 126 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm sure this gets asked all the time, but what are your favorite low cal/negative cal snacks?

I sit at a desk for most of my day. I usually make it to lunch just fine without snacking. I'll grab a snack around 2:30 - 3 p.m. It's usually a fruit I've packed, but then I find myself starving again before dinner. Coming home from my commute hungry doesn't do much for motivating a work out. All I want to do is eat dinner!
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Replies

  • litoria
    litoria Posts: 239 Member
    I just had a nice hot bowl of miso soup. With tofu, sh!take mushrooms etc. I usually find that fills me up a bit and helps rehydrate after working out (other than drinking endless glasses of water).
    Oh, and it's yummy :)
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    There is nothing known as a negative calorie snack.

    Some of my favorite snacks:

    Celery with peanut butter or laughing cow cheese
    Almonds
    Chips measured out by grams (Popchips are amazing & you can have a fair amount for the calories)
    Carrots with dip
    Cottage cheese with frozen fruit like pineapple, blueberries, mixed berries. Sometimes I'll even top it with some whipped cream & chocolate morsels.
    Apples with peanut butter
    Rice cakes with peanut butter
    Ice cream
    Cookies
  • iechick
    iechick Posts: 352 Member
    don't track calories, but my current favorite snacks are homemade muffins (right now I'm going through apple pumpkin ones and apple cinnamon ones that I made earlier this week), and then a small plate with pretzel sticks, black olives and almonds-love the combination!
  • srhkoll13
    srhkoll13 Posts: 2 Member
    When I snack, a lot of times it's because I'm wanting a certain flavor; so I try and think of what that flavor is before grabbing something random. Otherwise, I still feel unsatisfied. Good for you if you're snacking because you're actually hungry!

    Salty: Popchips, olives, pistachios, blue corn tortilla chips and salsa
    Sweet: dried apricots, kettle corn, toast with honey, milano cookies
    Juicy: grapes, cherry tomatoes, clementines, green tea

    If you're starving after work, grabbing a handful of Kashi GoLean crisp cereal will probably do the trick too. There's quite a bit of protein in it but I wouldn't call it lo cal.
  • jarednuzzi
    jarednuzzi Posts: 18
    I like pickles, Special K cracker crisp, beef jerky, baby carrots with hummus or fat free ranch, apples, grapes and cucumber with cheese.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
    Turkey jerky, dried apple rings and decaf coffee.
  • FrauHaas2013
    FrauHaas2013 Posts: 615 Member
    Depends on what I'm craving...

    SWEET: Strawberries/raspberries/blackberries
    SALTY: popcorn
    CHOCOLATE: Kashi chocolate almond chia granola bar
    CHEESY: cheddar cheese stick
    GREEN: Cuke or asparagus spears
    MEAT: beef jerky
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 499 Member
    I try not to snack but im addicted to Emerald "sweet and salty" cinnamon and sugar mixed nuts. I literally cant have them in my house or i'll go nutz:tongue: . I had to run/jog/walk over 3 hours extra one day because i downed a entire jar that was 11 serving @ 100 cal per serving.

    But, for a healthy snack i usually thaw in advance a bag of frozen cut carrots and snack on those if im watching some tv shows or movies.
  • Britters101
    Britters101 Posts: 10 Member
    Actually, celery by itself is sometimes classified a "negative calorie" snack since the body burns more calories in digesting it than it takes in from the celery. This is typical of a lot of foods that are made with cellulose- a material in vegetables that can't be broken down in the body since we lack the necessary enzyme to do so- and have a high water content.

    Popcorn is a good low-calorie snack and can be particularly healthy if it's air popped and eaten as is. Hummus with sticks of cucumber or carrot can be filling. I suggest fiber-rich snacks such as multi-grain crackers or raw spinach salads (with a light dressing, of course c: ) since fiber rich foods take up more room in your digestive system, making you feel more satisfied for longer periods of time.
  • livelaughlove384
    livelaughlove384 Posts: 100
    There is nothing known as a negative calorie snack.

    Some of my favorite snacks:

    Celery with peanut butter or laughing cow cheese
    Almonds
    Chips measured out by grams (Popchips are amazing & you can have a fair amount for the calories)
    Carrots with dip
    Cottage cheese with frozen fruit like pineapple, blueberries, mixed berries. Sometimes I'll even top it with some whipped cream & chocolate morsels.
    Apples with peanut butter
    Rice cakes with peanut butter
    Ice cream
    Cookies

    actually there are negative calorie snacks..Here is a list of negative calorie foods. No that doesn't mean the
    foods have negative calories ;) I wish lol. What it means is that
    when you eat these foods raw or in some cases slightly cooked with nothing on them
    your body burns more calories digesting and processing them than what
    is in the actual food itself. For a healthy weight loss and a little
    boost add some of these foods to your diet each day. Most are full of
    nutrients and won't weigh you down.

    Thought this might help some of you :)
    Christin

    Fruits

    apple
    cranberries
    grapefruit
    lemon
    mango
    orange
    pineapple
    raspberries
    strawberries
    tangerine

    Vegetables

    asparagus
    beet
    broccoli
    cabbage (green)
    carrot
    cauliflower
    celery
    Chile peppers (hot)
    cucumber
    dandelion
    endive
    garden cress
    garlic
    green beans
    lettuce
    onion
    papaya
    radishes
    spinach
    turnip

    taken from about.com
  • upscalelifedownscalebutt
    upscalelifedownscalebutt Posts: 90 Member
    Frozen fruit, pickled veggies, popcorn, cheese and crackers, salad with cheese, small can of tuna, bran buds (I know I'm weird, but I love them), bags of fresh veggies, oatmeal date cookies, frozen popsicles (homemade with fruit and yogurt, coffee, etc.), soups,

    not all office/commute friendly
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Pumpkin seeds :)
  • kckBxer396
    kckBxer396 Posts: 460 Member
    Hm...I'm not sure of the calorie counts,but I enjoy:

    -salted air popped popcorn
    -dill pickles
    - whole lemons
    -cucumbers
    -freezer pops
    -cubed radish kimchi
    - a couple spoons of peanut butter
    -whole tomatoes
    -Wasabi and soy sauce almonds
    -wasabi peas
    -pistachios
    -cashews
    -roasted seaweed
    -baked turnips
    -apple slices with lemon pepper
  • FranceyPants
    FranceyPants Posts: 98 Member
    There is nothing known as a negative calorie snack.

    Correct.
    actually there are negative calorie snacks..Here is a list of negative calorie foods. No that doesn't mean the
    foods have negative calories ;) I wish lol. What it means is that
    when you eat these foods raw or in some cases slightly cooked with nothing on them
    your body burns more calories digesting and processing them than what
    is in the actual food itself. For a healthy weight loss and a little
    boost add some of these foods to your diet each day. Most are full of
    nutrients and won't weigh you down.

    Nope.

    "A negative calorie food is a food that is incorrectly claimed to require more food energy to be digested than it provides. That is, its thermic effect – the calorific "cost" of digesting the food – is greater than its food energy content. The thermic effect is scientifically called specific dynamic action. While this concept is popular in dieting guides, there is no scientific evidence that any of the foods claimed as negative calorie foods are such."

    Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_calorie_food
  • RonW956
    RonW956 Posts: 105 Member
    As far as snacks I like;

    Chobani greek yogurt w/strawberry fruit on bottom
    Sugar free chocolate pudding snack packs
    red or black grapes
    Multi grain deli rounds w/ almond butter & honey
  • angelamangus1
    angelamangus1 Posts: 164 Member
    Some snacks that I enjoy,
    Fage greek yogurt w/ fruit
    String cheese
    (the 2 above are my go to)
    Mandarin oranges
    Air popped popcorn

    Now my indulgences I enjoy sometimes,
    Granola bar (Chocolate w/ peanut butter)
    Twizzlers
    Coffee w/ flavored creamer

    I count my calories so even the low calorie veggies I count such as celery, cucumbers, lettuce, romaine, spinach, bell peppers, green beans...etc. To me a calorie is a calorie and I want to be as accurate as possible since.

    Overall, find snacks that you would enjoy eating do not stress too much about the calorie count (100 to 200 calorie for snacks, depending on what your calories are set at). Eat in moderation and suggested serving size.
  • angelamangus1
    angelamangus1 Posts: 164 Member
    Pumpkin seeds :)

    Ooh, I like these too!
  • teacupowl
    teacupowl Posts: 104
    My absolute favorite recently has been rice cakes with tzatziki sauce. Otherwise, I tend to snack on Kashi bars (pink lemonade + chia bars are pretty tasty), cheese sticks, olives, hummus, popcorn, cucumbers, carrots, celery with peanut butter, salsa with portioned out chips, cashews, pistachios, and waffle crisps (cookie sensation, but really low calorie).

    There are tons of healthy and low calorie snacks out there. :-)
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    I love snacking on cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. If I want to work out after work and before dinner, I will have a protein bar on my drive home. It fills me up and gives me energy for a great work-out.
  • JuliaLee67
    JuliaLee67 Posts: 149
    hummus with whole grain pitas and raw veggies, almonds, cashews, dark chocolate-covered raisins, chips and good homemade salsa
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    Instead of having fruit, have almonds as a snack ... The combination of fiber, fat, and protein may keep you satiated longer that a piece of fruit, which is just carbohydrates ...
  • sandobr1
    sandobr1 Posts: 319 Member
    This time period is also my toughest to get through, I now account for it with a mini meal, really like many of the options noted above but I plan for it daily. I try to allow 1-300 calories and eat about halfway between lunch and dinner. One of my most favorite lately is Oikos key lime yogurt and I use graham crackers to dip in it. Another low cal option is sliced cucumbers with salsa, you can eat a whol cucumber and a 1/4 cup salsa for less then 50 calories, ou mini peppers with cottage cheese.
  • livesthere
    livesthere Posts: 71
    I just had a delicious pre-workout snack (I try to eat a couple hours before I go so I can go full force at the gym): A whole wheat tortilla with an egg, turkey, and hot sauce. I don't eat dairy, but if I did I would add some cheese to it!

    I am a spicy hummus addict. Anything with hummus is delicious. And salsa! Basically I love spicy stuff.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    Mainly apples, Greek yogurt, protein bars and low-sodium turkey jerky.
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
    Depends on what you define as low calorie. My usual snack come in around 200 calories, so that might not be low enough for you.

    Nonfat greek yogurt cups (variety of flavors and brands, whatever's on sale and not obscene in sodium)
    Unsalted almonds
    Homemade ciabatta bread with Trader Joe's pumpkin butter (so good)
    A cup of baby carrots (I eat mine plain)
    Occasionally I will have a cookie or a piece of candy, but I prefer my own homemade junk food if I go the junk food route.
  • Susanjellybelly
    Susanjellybelly Posts: 10 Member
    Two Ryvita crackers- huge and crunchy with either 2 Laughing Cow, or a 1/4 cup of Antipasto ( ?Sp) . It's super low cal and tastes like a real treat. CostCo has it. I run around 200 cals for a solid snack and I try to keep crunchy apples in the car for the half hour drive home. A nice cup of hot tea with a couple Digestive cookies feels like a proper break snack too. I did find a good Pinterest Pin with a whole list of 200 calories snacks. I love the inspiration I'm getting from everyone. Great question!
  • shan_0517
    shan_0517 Posts: 88 Member
    bump
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    unsalted raw almonds. they have a nice sweet crunch so it cures my need to crunch. i buy them by the bucket at Sam's warehouse and grab 3 or 4 at a time all day long.
  • inittoloose10
    inittoloose10 Posts: 11 Member
    This is where my day can go the wrong way . So I have been allowing myself almost as many cals as breakfast.

    Salty: cucumber with lime juice and tajin almost like a pickled taste
    Sweet: coffee T sugar 2T of h&h and maple and brown sugar oatmeal
    If I don't have any food on hand I will mix some cookies n cream optimum nutrition protein powder with half a bottle of water and I'm good to go.
  • fitpam90x
    fitpam90x Posts: 197 Member
    Some of my favorite snacks are:
    Suzie's Think Thin Rice Cakes with Cottage Cheese + Sliced Strawberries (or as an alternative, hummus and celery)
    Smari Yogurt (great protein!)
    Handful of Raw Almonds
    Fuji apples

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