Shut that Belly Up!
Hunger spikes and cravings can get the best of our belly who insists it has its own mind. But the right solution is not to give up snacking altogether. Instead, you need to know which snacks to reach for, and which ones to avoid.
To help get your snacking on the right track, these 50 healthy low calories snacks will give you tons of ideas to prevent you from having cheat days every day!
Although I’m not a big supporter of low calorie diets in general, going low calorie with snacking can be a really effective approach. That’s because snacking can be a difficult thing to stop. One bite leads to two bites, and before you know it, an entire bag of chips or candy bar is finished off.
Keep it low calorie, and you take some of the pressure off of snacking.
Here are 50 of the healthiest, low calories snacks around. I’m breaking things up by sweet and savory to satisfy everyone’s taste buds, with a bonus sweet and salty list!
All of these snacks come in at around just 100 calories. Enjoy!
50 Low Calories Snacks for a Healthy Diet
Sweet Low Calorie Snacks
1. Oats & Blueberry Bowl: 1/3 cup of quick oats (cooked in the microwave with water) and ¼ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries – sprinkle with a little cinnamon and enjoy!
2. Berry-Citrus Fruit Salad: 1 cup of mixed berries (fresh or thawed from frozen), 1 tablespoon of fresh-squeezed orange juice – just toss the berries in the orange juice.
3. Applesauce: 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce, ¼ teaspoon of brown sugar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon – enjoy it cold or heat it up in the microwave.
4. Dark Chocolate: 3 to 4 squares will keep you under 100 calories – and give you a boost of antioxidants.
5. Baked Apple with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar: 1 apple (granny smith is best), 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon – cut the apple in half, core it, and fill each half with brown sugar and cinnamon, then bake until tender.
6. Café Latte: 1 shot of espresso with 8 ounces of steamed, fat-free milk or dairy alternative.
7. Lemonade Popsicle: 8 ounces of lemonade frozen in a popsicle mold – add a stick of you wish!
8. Apple or Banana Chips: ¾ cup of either kind will satisfy your sweet tooth and keep the calories down.
9. Waffle with Fruit: 1 whole grain or 7-grain frozen waffle, ¼ cup of fresh or frozen mixed berries – toast the waffle and top with fruit.
10. Almond Milk Protein Shake: 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop of vanilla flavored Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion, and a few ice cubes – blend and enjoy!
11. Chocolate Milk: 6 ounces of chocolate milk will satisfy your cravings for something sweet and offer an extra serving of protein.
12. Apple Slices with Almond Butter: 1 sweet apple (Gala or red delicious), 2 teaspoons of all-natural almond butter – core and slice the apple and spread on the almond butter (one of my favorites).
13. Chocolate Covered Strawberries: 5-6 fresh strawberries, 2 squares of dark chocolate – melt the chocolate (careful, it burns easily in the microwave!) and dip your strawberries!
14. Vanilla & Banana Smoothie: ½ of a banana, ¼ cup of vanilla flavored non-fat Greek yogurt – blend and serve.
15. Fig Newton & PB: 1 fig newton with 1 teaspoon of peanut butter – it’s like a mini-version of a PB and jelly sandwich!
16. Frozen Grapes: 1 cup of grapes frozen for a couple of hours – one of the easiest twists on a classic snack.
17. Grilled Pineapple Slices: 2 pineapple slices (round from a can or freshly cored pineapple) – just grill or sauté for a couple minutes!
18. Cinnamon-Spiced Orange: 1 naval orange and a sprinkle of cinnamon – just sprinkle the orange slices with cinnamon, it’s that simple.
19. Fruit Juice Smoothie: ¼ cup of apple juice, ¼ cup of orange juice, handful of ice – blend together.
20. Yogurt with Cinnamon & Honey: ½ cup of non-fat Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon – enjoy as is, or top with a teaspoon of Nutiva Organic Chia Seeds for an extra protein boost!
Savory Low Calorie Snacks
21. Kale Chips: ½ cup of raw kale (green or black, stems removed), 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt or Cajun spice – tear kale leaves into bite-size pieces, coat with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt before baking at 425 degrees (F) until crisp.
22. Cucumber with Fat-Free Cream Cheese: ½ of a long English cucumber, 1 teaspoon of fat-free cream cheese – slice cucumber into strips and spread on a little cream cheese.
23. Mixed Olives: about 8 to 10 olives will keep you right around 100 calories – a great one when you’re craving something salty!
24. Popcorn: 2 cups of plain popcorn, air-popped or microwavable.
25. Carrots & Hummus: 10 organic baby carrots, 2 tablespoons of regular or seasoned hummus – one of the most convenient healthy snacks to keep on hand.
