Snack Smart and Lose Weight

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By Raeanne Sarazen, R.D.

There's no rule against snacking, but make sure you snack smart. These guidelines will help you choose snacks that keep your weight under control and your heart healthy.

If you feel out of control when snacking, take heart. Snacks play an important role when you are trying to lose weight. So stop worrying and learn to snack wisely. We’ll show you how.

“Snacking has a number of advantages,” says Betsy Hornick, R.D., a nutrition educator in private practice in Chicago.

Snacks help balance appetite: If you start your meal feeling ravenous, you might eat so fast that you finish your second helping before feeling the slightest bit full. “A small snack can take the edge off hunger and help prevent overeating at your next meal,” Hornick says. 

Snacks boost energy: Snacking can give you the energy you need to get through the day. For example, a piece of fruit in midmorning can take care of the “hungries” and help you focus on tasks at hand, especially if you didn’t eat enough for breakfast.

Snacks provide nutrients: When chosen wisely, snacks provide the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that you might not get during meals. Munching on just one carrot helps meet your daily vitamin A needs, and a banana provides the potassium you need.

Guidelines for smart snacking
Snacking offers some benefits, but you still need to be vigilant. Snacks, if not chosen prudently, can be a source of excess fat and calories. Those extra calories eventually show up on the bathroom scale. Snacking helps or hurts you depending on what foods you pick and how much you eat. Follow these strategies and snack without guilt.

Watch the amount
Remember to read the calorie amount per serving on the nutrition label of a food package—even for your healthful choices. For example, a single serving of almonds may be only 170 calories, but keep eating handful after handful, and you will have consumed a whole cup of almonds and 825 calories!