The word "diet" is enough to send most people into "hording food" mode, but diets really aren’t the dirty word they can sometimes seem. In fact, the word "diet" simply means the foods eaten every day. The phrase "going on a diet" is really a misnomer, since whatever is eaten really is a person’s diet.
However, sometimes people change what they eat, their diet, in order to lose weight, get healthier, or to improve a medical condition. These types of diets are specialty diets, and each will have its own set of problems and bonuses.
Weight Loss Dieting and Maintenance
When dieting to lose or maintain weight, there are many choices of diet styles and types from which to choose. Fad diets come and go, but the reality is clear: eating less, eating healthier and moving more is still the best way to lose weight.
Snacks for a weight loss diet will depend upon what type of diet is being used. For a low-carb diet, cream cheese, pork rinds and beef jerky might make great snacks. For a low-fat diet, however, those same items would wreck the diet completely.
Calorie-controlled diet foods that are low in fat (but not necessarily fat-free snacks) are a healthy and wise choice. These include snacking on raw vegetables, low-fat flavored yogurt, vegetable chips and more.
Portion-Controlled Snacks Help with Dieting
Dieting to lose weight has never been easier than it is today, with the entire food manufacturing industry catering to the health-conscious consumer. Portion-controlled, low-calorie snack foods are now available, making it easier to know exactly how much has been eaten and how many calories and other nutritional facts are consumed.
Those portion-controlled snacks include chips, crackers and cookies in individually packaged servings with the calories and fat content clearly and easily visible. As long as a dieter doesn’t eat six packages of these portion-controlled snacks, having one package per day for a snack is an easy, convenient way to snack while dieting without blowing the diet.
Lean Meat Snacks for Protein
Rotisserie chicken is now sold in many delis and the local grocery store and can be kept in the refrigerator for days. This lean chicken (minus the skin) can be a great snack when wanting a quick protein boost. Rotisserie chicken can be stripped from the bones and stored in sealed bags in the refrigerator for a quick snack.
Other lean protein snacks are canned or packaged tuna, in spring water, or canned chicken and pork. Nuts make a good protein snack that will make dieters feel full without adding too many bad calories or carbs: pistachios, pecans, walnuts, peanuts and more.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables for Nutrition
When not doused in butter and salt, fresh vegetables are a great weight-loss companion. Salad greens (without or with limited dressing), fresh vegetables are a great and crunchy option for dieters. Fresh broccoli, asparagus, carrots, celery, radishes and lettuce all give a lot of chewing with little calories, making the body feel fuller with fewer calories.
For a sweet tooth, fresh fruit is a great choice. Canned fruit is usually packed in syrup, but if a dieter can find canned fruit packed in its own juices, that’s a good alternative to fresh fruit. Fresh apples, oranges, tangelos, pears, plums, grapes and more will soothe a sweet tooth without breaking a diet.
Make Good Drink Choices
While this can include alcoholic beverages, for dieters, drinking responsibly means more than just alcohol. Full-sugared or high fructose corn syrup filled sodas carry as many calories as an entire sandwich, and smoothies or yogurt drinks aren’t much better. Even fresh fruit juice can ruin a diet, because there’s no filler like in eating whole fruit. Drinking calories can quickly ruin a diet, so it’s best to stick with cool or cold water, coffee, unsweetened tea or other liquids that don’t add calories.
Choose Healthy Snacks to Maintain a Diet
It comes down to this: snacking is just fine on a diet, provided the dieter picks healthy snacks that complement the diet. Choosing healthier snacks, low-calorie options, and eating fresh vegetables and fruit can help promote healthy eating and weight loss or weight maintenance.
Michelle L Devon - ~~Michelle Devon has 15 years of writing and over a decade of editorial experience, working with hundreds of publications and ...
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