Week 5: Snack Smarter

7 ways to instantly improve your eating habits

November 3, 2011

Snacks can make or break the quality of your weight loss program. Even if your meals are generally healthy, if you eat a handful of chips, a couple of fun-sized chocolate bars, and sneak a few spoonfuls of ice cream, you've added hundreds of extra empty calories to your day. But snacks don't have to destroy your healthy eating habits.

"The word snack has a negative connotation, but it can be a good thing," says nutritionist Cynthia Sass, RD, MPH, who designed Prevention's 8-week healthy eating weight loss program. "Snacking helps us get more of the nutrients our bodies need."


Healthy snacks are a great way to fit in an extra serving of whole grains, fruits or veggies into your weight loss program -- especially if you have trouble meeting the recommended amount for each food group.

This week, Cynthia gives you ideas for low-calorie snacks to treat your sweet tooth, stave off hunger, and provide the energy you need to get through the day.


Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8



Fruit is nature's perfect snack, but variety is the key. The nutrients and protective phytochemicals found in red fruits differ from those in yellow or orange. Vary your intake by buying a rainbow of colors, and eating at least two different colored fruits each day. Reds include apples, berries, grapes, red pears, and pomegranates; for yellow/orange try citrus fruits, gooseberries, Calimyrna figs, mangos, papyas, persimmons, and pineapple; whites include bananas, pears, and dates; for great greens try green apples, grapes, kiwi, and pears; and for purple/blue eat berries, currants, plums, Mission figs, grapes, and raisins.


Looking for after-dinner snacks that are low in calories but feel decadent? Try a juicy baked apple or pear. Just wash, core, and drizzle with one tablespoon each of water and maple syrup. Then sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and bake or microwave until tender.


If you need snacks to get you through a long stretch between meals, keep an emergency supply of dried fruit and nuts on hand. Stash them in your desk, bag, or car. A golf-ball-sized portion of each makes a filling, nutrient-rich snack that will get you through to the next meal. Look for dried, no-sugar-added apricots, apple rings, pineapple, cherries, figs, dates, blueberries, prunes (dried plums), and raisins, as well as unsalted roasted almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, and sunflower seeds.



One of my favorite mid-afternoon snacks on the weight loss program is a freshly sliced apple with a tablespoon or two of peanut or almond butter for dipping. Give it a kick by mixing in freshly grated ginger, cinnamon, cocoa powder, or by sprinkling some toasted oats on top!


For low-cal after-dinner snacks, try frozen juice bars made from 100% fruit juice. They count as a serving of fruit. Or you can make your own by filling Popsicle molds with your favorite sliced fruits and 100% juice. Or, if you have a sweet tooth, dip fresh fruit into low-fat whipped cream, vanilla yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon, low-fat pudding, or melted dark chocolate chips.


Fresh veggies dipped in hummus, pinto or black bean dip is another perfect low-cal, nutrient-rich and filling snack. If baby carrots are too crunchy for your taste, soften them up just a bit -- microwave a cup for 4-5 minutes and then chill in the fridge.


Whole-grain dry cereals you can eat with your hands (like "O" and square shapes) make great weight loss program low-calorie snacks. One cup, about the size of a baseball, provides about 100 calories and at least 3 grams of filling dietary fiber. If you have trouble with portion control, invest in a few 8-ounce plastic containers with snap-on lids. Keep several filled up so you can grab one when you need it -- it'll keep you from dipping back into the box.

Print this week's weight loss program to pin on your fridge.

(Posted January 2007)