Choosing the right snacks to help you reach your weight loss goal can be tricky. What you eat between meals matters more than you think. These choices can boost your metabolism and help you lose weight fast.

Smoothie bowl with a variety of fruit on top

Rather than trying to avoid snacking altogether, learning better habits can actually help you achieve your weight loss goals. Snacking throughout the day has many benefits when it comes to helping us lose weight, including keeping our blood sugar levels constant and our metabolism firing steadily throughout the day. It also gives us the opportunity to include a wider variety of healthy foods in our diets, like a low carb cookie or handful of fruit. If you find yourself reaching for the high sugar snack alternatives, follow these tips to incorporate snacking into your weight loss plan.

Prepare

The key to incorporating snacking into your weight loss plan, is keeping healthy fresh food options, such as fruits and vegetables on hand. Leave the house armed with healthy snacks in your bag, so you don’t get caught reaching for the not-so-great snacks.

Snack Smart

Eating snacks with the right ratio of nutrients and the right amount of calories, will help keep your body energiszed and help you lose weight. Smart choices will help your body operate at maximum efficiency.

Snacks that are high in protein fuel the growth of lean muscle mass, which boosts metabolic rate and increases calorie burn. Snacks that are high in fibrefiber will aid digestion and keep you from binging on fats and sugars. Snacking smart is about understanding your ingredients, avoiding nasty sugars and eating clean. If you have the chance, check the nutritional information contained on food labels. In particular, keep an eye out for the number of calories that your snacks contains, along with levels of sugar and saturated fat.

Reach for Fruit and Veggies

Fruit and vegetables make fantastic, full of flavour and are waistline-friendly snacks. Most fruits and veggies are relatively low in calories and are packed with healthy vitamins and minerals.

If you are regularly in an environment where unhealthy snacks are a regular temptation, keeping some fruit and vegetables handy are key to sticking to your weight loss plans.   

Eat Regularly

Dieticians recommend eating every three to four hours after breakfast until dinner. Once you pass the four-hour mark without food, your blood sugar levels begin to drop. This is when the temptation to reach for quick and unhealthy snacking alternatives can reach a high.

While you should try and eat regularly throughout the day, make sure to stay awake for at least 30 minutes after your final meal, to allow for proper digestion and a better night’s rest.

Ditch the packaging

The convenience of packaged snacks is tempting, but you’re often better off taking the time to make your own food. Pre-packaged foods are often loaded with harmful and artificial ingredients. These types of snacks are not only lacking in health benefits, but also tend not to keep your hungry tummy satisfied for long.

Stay away from low-fat items

Foods advertised as ‘low-fat’ can be misleading for the customer trying to stick to a weight loss plan. While these foods may sound ideal, these keywords are often a giveaway that the food is loaded with sugar and added sodium to compensate for flavor loss. By pre-preparing your own snacks, you can be sure of the exact ingredients you are using to fuel your body.

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Snacking for weight loss can seem difficult when finding the proper balance of what your body needs, but dietitians have some helpful guidelines. Fortunately with some preparation and support, you can enjoy your snacks while sticking to your weight loss goals.

Bio: Laura Costello is in her final year of a Bachelor of Law/International Relations at Latrobe University. She is passionate about the law, the power of social media, and the ability to translate her knowledge of both common and complex topics to readers across a variety of mediums, in a way that is easy to understand.