It can be hard to stick to our daily calorie limits when we always crave something salty in the afternoon or something sweet after dinner.
But there are some healthier ways to satisfy your cravings, without blowing your whole diet plan.
Whether it’s sweetness, salt, or carbs that you long for, try some of these ideas to keep your cravings in check.
Here are some healthy snacks to satisfy any craving…
Healthy Snacks For Salty Cravings
Air-popped popcorn
Get a crunchy fiber hit with some natural air-popped (that is, not cooked in oil) popcorn. You can even sprinkle on a little bit of salt. One cup popped is only 26 calories!
Pickles
Pickles have lots of vitamins and fiber and are naturally low in fat. Half a cup has only around 9 calories- but don’t go overboard, as they are quite high in sodium.
Olives
Most of the fat in olives is the healthy kind (monounsaturated), so you can get the salty taste you crave without the guilt. 10 kalamata olives comes to about 90 calories.
See Also: Saturated Fat Daily Intake
Roasted nuts
For a nice crunchy snack, have a handful of nuts. They’re even better if you roast them yourself, so spread a few on a baking tray. 13 roasted almonds come to around 100 calories.
Pretzels
A healthier alternative to chips, pretzels give you a good savory snack to satisfy your salt craving. 50 grams gets you to about 180 calories.
Tortilla chips
Make your own tortilla chips by tearing up some tortilla bread and baking in the oven for 10-15 minutes, then add a little salt. 50 grams is around 150 calories.
Healthy Snacks For Sugar Cravings
Frozen berries
Keep some frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or currents in the fridge and snack on them when you want a sweet treat. Half a cup of frozen raspberries has less than 50 calories.
See Also: 15 Easy Ways To Start Eating More Fruits And Vegetables
Raisins
A sweet snack that will keep your energy levels up during the day. One serve of 50 raisins comes to about 150 calories.
Low-fat chocolate
Check the nutritional info carefully in the confectionery isle and you’ll find some chocolate bars (quite often, dark chocolate) with less than 100 calories. Save them for when you really need a chocolate hit.
Yogurt
Craving ice cream? Go for some low-fat yogurt instead. You can get lots of fruity flavors that will make you feel like you’re having a sweet dessert, often in under 100 calories.
Smoothies
Make a smoothie with fresh or frozen fruit, adding low-fat milk or yogurt or even protein powder to give it a creamier taste. A good alternative to ice cream or milkshakes. Depending on what you put in it, it could be only 100 to 200 calories.
Chocolate milk
Find a low-calorie drinking chocolate and mix it up with some low-fat milk. That will keep you feeling full and satisfy your chocolate craving! You should be able to get a glass for around 100-150 calories.
Healthy Snacks For Carb Cravings
Rice cakes
Need a crunchy snack? Try some rice cakes- in most brands, one cake is around 35-50 calories, so you’ve even got room to spread on a little hummus or peanut butter.
Tofu
Grill up some cubes of tofu and drizzle with a little sweet chili sauce for a filling snack. 100 grams of tofu has around 80 calories.
Peanut butter sandwich
Use wholegrain bread and a thin spread of low-fat peanut butter.
Then pop it in a sandwich toaster for a warm, comforting treat. You’ll be eating around 150 calories.
Muesli bar
Snack on a natural muesli bar for some wholegrains and fiber. You can find lots of brands for 100 to 150 calories per bar, or you can make your own.
Cereal
The trick here is to keep your portion sizes small, and to skip sugary cereals that pack in lots of calories.
One cup of cereals has around 120 calories – a good, filling snack with lots of fiber.
Conclusion
When you are hungry and you are not at home, or you are not in a position to make a healthy meal, don’t give up your health. Not all snacks are unhealthy, eat a handful of raisins instead of a piece of pizza, satisfy your hunger and feed your body.
Please, don’t immediately be negative toward proposals, give them at least a chance. Some of them cost much less than unhealthy, industrial snacks. Feel free to try them, and even if you don’t like the taste, nothing bad will happen. They can’t spoil the stomach, trust us!
