Fighting hunger pangs is one of hardest battles we face when we embark on our weight loss programme. A major part of most diets is the reduction of calorie intake, often resulting in a feeling of hunger at some part of the day. There are various ways we can combat this hunger and dissatisfaction.
Why not try low calorie snack foods? Flavoursome and satisfying they can fill the void in our diet having the advantage of not reducing our ability to lose weight.
Here are just a few examples to choose from.
Raw Fresh Vegetables
Low in calories and high in fibre, vegetables are an ideal candidate to snack on. Due to their high fibre content, they help us feel full and add are a better alternative to fattening snacks like biscuits or potato chips.
By combining raw vegetables with low calorie dips, salsa or hummus, we can satisfy our hunger between meals without compromising our calorie intake plan.
Carrots, broccoli, peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes, celery all fit the bill to add crunch and variety, bridging that gap between meals.
Fresh Fruit
High in fibre and rich in antioxidants, fruit is an excellent low calorie snack. Most of us crave a little sweetness, even when focused intently on our goal, the natural sugars in fruit can offer us this without compromising our diet. Due to their high water content fruits such as melon, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapefruit, oranges and cherries as well as numerous others are very low in calories.
If eating fruit as it is does not appeal, Why not use our imagination and make purees to combine with yogurt to form a refreshing drink? Pineapple is an excellent choice to mix with cottage or low fat cream cheese. Poached pears or baked apples make a filling and enjoyable hot sweet dessert.
Stuffed Tomatoes or Mushrooms
Tomatoes and mushrooms are both low calorie and versatile. Quick and easy to prepare they make an easy snack, or even in a larger portion a main meal.
By combining finely chopped peppers, onions, tuna in brine, and a little garlic, we have a tasty, low calorie filling for our tomatoes or mushrooms. A drizzle of low calorie vegetable oil and they are ready to bake.
Other cooked meats or sea food can also be used, or can be totally vegetarian, perhaps with tofu or a ratatouille type filling.
Delicious, low in calorie, high in fibre and an ideal mid meal snack, we should feel sustained without being tempted to lapse in bad snacking habits.
Variety and imagination will all help in the results we can achieve in our quest to lose weight healthily without feeling hungry between meals. Variety is certainly the spice of life when it comes to low calorie snacks. We can create innumerable tasty combination's of snacks using ingredients that we both enjoy and have a low calorie count. All we need is a little time and imagination.
