5 Healthy Snacks You Can Eat to Lose Weight

Snacks can absolutely fit in your diet if you’re trying to lose weight. Having ideas for healthy snacks to pack for work snacks, grab and go snacks, store-bought snacks and snacks you can make yourself will help vary the nutrients you get and keep you from going hangry between meals.

Choose snacks that are high in proteins and nutrients. These foods can help boost metabolism and burn calories. It can also help a person to stop craving unhealthy food.

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a complex carb, meaning it helps fill you up without spiking your blood sugar. Plus, it’s a good source of fiber and eating more fiber helps people lose weight and keep it off. While we think of it typically as breakfast, a small bowl of oats makes a hearty, filling and delicious snack. To make this snack more convenient—keep a packet or two of unsweetened instant oatmeal at your desk or make overnight oats in a mason jar.

2. Hummus

Skip the vending machine and satisfy the afternoon “munchies” with a healthy snack you packed at home. You’ll save money and get a bigger bang for your nutritional buck. Try cut up veggies and some hummus. One serving of hummus is 2 tablespoons and paired with vegetables can help satisfy your hunger.

Planning snacks that provide both complex carbohydrates and protein will help tide you over until dinner.

3. Yogurt

Use snacks to fill nutritional gaps. Choose snacks that provide calcium and fiber—two nutrients that people often don’t eat enough of. Yogurt with fruit delivers calcium and fiber, plus protein and gut-healthy probiotics

Choose plain yogurt and add your own fruit for natural sweetness and fiber. Flavored yogurt often delivers lots of added sugar and extra calories. Whole milk and low-fat plain yogurt are healthy choices too. Newer research on dairy has debunked the myth that fat free is healthiest.

If you’re looking for even more of a protein boost in your yogurt snack, Greek yogurt has almost double the protein compared to regular.

4. Chocolate

Losing weight doesn’t mean giving up the foods you love. Believe it or not, giving yourself little treats may be the secret to losing weight-for good. Aiming to be “too good” sets you up to fail and doesn’t allow you to fully enjoy your foods.

If you like a glass of wine with dinner, make room for it. Prefer dessert? Skip the drink and go for a small chocolate treat instead. Remember, if you have both-that’s OK too. Don’t beat yourself up. Just enjoy a healthy breakfast tomorrow.

5. Almonds

Nuts are a great healthy snack. And even though they’re high in fat, you don’t need to avoid them if you’re trying to lose weight. Plus, almonds deliver filling fiber, protein and healthy fats. Almonds help keep hunger at bay, improve your heart health and may even help you lose belly fat (learn more about all the amazing health benefits of almonds). Grab a handful, eat them with some dried fruit and dark chocolate or spread some almond butter on an apple.

A serving of almonds, one ounce or 23 almonds, has 164 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein.