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THE BEST snack?

What are some of the best, low-calorie snacks to munch on? I find myself craving tostitos chips with salsa and cheese whenever i'm sitting down to watch a movie with my boyfriend! And thats bad! I know fruit is a really good choice, but sometimes i get tired of eating it all the time! And i love carrot sticks, but don't know any low-calorie dips to dip them in! any great ideas out there?

Sun. Aug 19, 7:57pm

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snacks

How about hummus to dip your veggies in or low fat plain yogurt with some herbs. if you are craving chips, the baked corn chips aren't bad abd salsa is low in calories. Grapes are good to munch on with some low fat cheese.

Sunday, August 19, 2007, 8:01 PM

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someone on one of my teams makes amazing things with air-popped popcorn... he had a quest to replicate all his favorite snacks. i'll see if i can get him to post.

Sunday, August 19, 2007, 8:30 PM

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celery and salsa is almost negative calories with lots of taste

Sunday, August 19, 2007, 9:20 PM

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I love fruit, it is so delicious, but unfortunately, it does contain calories, so i can't indulge that much. Also, sugar.

Overall, I don't think snacking is a good option. It just tells your brain that whenever you feel the need to eat, you will atisfy that need. You have to fight it. Suck on a hard sugar-free candy to fill your mouth. Drink hot tea with lemon and splenda. Drink water. Don't give in.

Sunday, August 19, 2007, 10:11 PM

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Snacking is good for you and healthy. By eating every three to four hours for a total of four or five meals a day, you are telling your body that it is not starving, hence encouraging a higher fat-burning metabolism. Several diets, including Weight Watchers, South Beach and Fat Smashers encourage frequent, low calorie meals and snacks.

Some of my favorite snacks are high protein, low fat, because I've discovered I lose better on this kind of diet, and I am less hungry.

For example,
1 cup non-fat yogurt, 120 calories
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 80 calories
1 peach or 1/2 cup mixed berries, 50 calories
Sweetener.
Slice the peach and mix together all ingredients.
Calories=250, protein= 25 grams, calcium=46 mg

For even fewer calories, try non-fat yogurt with a few almonds, 150 calories.

Another good snack is about 100 calories of cheese on high-fiber crackers. The fiber in the crackers helps you feel full longer. About 150 calories.

You can also try scramling an egg with sprayed on oil. Total calories, less then 100.

Then there's the veggie route. Good dips include non-fat sour cream with herbs and garlic powder, low-fat salad dressing and even salsa. But my favorite is non-fat refried beans mixed with some with Rotel tomatoes. Yum. It's so high in fiber that that half a can of beans only counts for 2 points, Weight Watchers--the equivalent of about 100 calories. It's also high in protein and filling. Mix it with 1/2 cup rice and you have a very filling lunch, equivaltent to about 200 calories.

Sunday, August 19, 2007, 11:04 PM

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Tortilla chips and salsa are not a terrible choice, but eating in front of the TV usually leads to the mindless consumption of more calories than intended.

I recommend Guiltless Gourmet tortilla chips. They taste great and their calorie content is lower than the 130 listed on the label because they forgot to subtract fiber calories, which the body doesn't absorb. I think an ounce comes to 90-110 instead of 120-130 as listed on the label if you "do the math" and remember to subtract fiber. They come in some GREAT flavors too. I think regular tortilla chips come in around 150-170 calories per ounce, so this is significant. And unlike Doritos, I'm always surprised how big a pile I get for an ounce. Now add 1/4 cup of most salsa for just 20 calories. This is a totally doable "diet" snack with minimal sacrifice.

Monday, August 20, 2007, 1:37 AM

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The salsa is a great choice - alas it's the chips that sneak up on you. I can pretty easily fit in a serving of Tostitos when the mood hits, but I have to be very careful to measure them out into a bowl or the whole bag will be gone. And I find that I am just as satisfied with the smaller portion, but if they are there I will munch.

Monday, August 20, 2007, 8:40 AM

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1/2 cup of 1% cottage cheese mixed with 1 tsp cocoa and a packet of sweetener. Tastes like lumpy chocolate cheese cake with ~90 cal, 14 g. of protein and 1 g of fat. This tastes like cheating, but it actually good for you.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007, 9:31 AM

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edamame -- nice and crunchy, can be salted

Tuesday, August 21, 2007, 11:33 AM

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raw veggies dipped in homemade salsa or hummus

Wednesday, August 22, 2007, 12:18 PM

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celery dipped in hummus...yummy..be careful because it is addicting also but at least its healthy

Saturday, November 15, 2008, 11:46 PM

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My suggestions are similar to a lot of the PP's, but here is how I doctor them:

Celery and cucumber w/ hummus - i add deli mustard to the hummus to reduce the cal content and be able to get a larger serving. Hummus is good for you, but not low cal. I also mix russian yogurt w/ light ranch for a little more protein and nutrition in that dip.

Popcorn - buy the light kind, and then my grocery store sells these shakers of flavor - white cheddar, cheddar, and caramel. Just spray the popcorn w/ cooking spray (Pam) and then shake. They are low cal and definately add a lot of flavor. Sometimes I sprinkle a little sugar free maple syrup or chocolate sauce for a dessert-like popcorn. I have also done a spray w/ pam and use spelnda and cinnamin too.

Similar to cottage cheese, low fat rictotta w/ coco powder and cal free sweetner (or agave if you are avoiding the no cal sweetners) is delicious and dessert like.

For a chip like snack I have baked summer squash that is sliced thinnly and sprinkled with garlic salt. You just have to watch the oven because they go from under-cooked to burned in a few min.

Sunday, November 16, 2008, 1:15 PM

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the humus was a good idea:] Cliff bars are really good too. They fill you up, and are really yummy! You can buy them at Costco for a good price.

My mom orders Shape (the magazine), and it usually has recipies for healthy snacks, including nachos! Let me find you the recipie:

cooked black beans
salsa
cheddar cheese
guacamole
tostitos chips

she put the black beans on top of the chips, then cheddar cheese, then put that in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes, or the microwave for 4 minutes. Then, she put guacamole and salsa on top. It was really good, and healthy! I felt very full after with minimal calories. I think if you control how much you make, you should be ok with that recipie:] its really good!

Monday, November 17, 2008, 12:37 AM

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oh! I forgot to mention... my friend's mom also makes a really healthy, delicious snack. She's romanian, and she learned this from her mom. You take cauliflower and put it on a baking sheet. You brush it with olive oil, then sprinkle on salt. Preheat the oven to 450, and bake for 15 minutes. Cool. They should be slight golder brown. They taste really buttery, filling and delicious, but they have the calories of cauliflower, olive oil, and salt! If you're dieting, its great, and it makes you feel really good after you eat it:]

Monday, November 17, 2008, 12:40 AM

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You've GOT to be kidding!

You've GOT to be kidding- cauliflower? I could sooner give up my belongings and become a missionary. Threads like this make me feel like there is no hope for me..... ha ha =)

Monday, November 17, 2008, 1:59 PM

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I recently rediscovered the Laughing Cow cheeses. The low cal ones are only 35 cals for a wedge. They are great on crackers or celery.

On popcorn, I also put 1 tsp of margarine (low cal), paprika and parmasen (sp?) cheese. It's pretty good.





Monday, November 17, 2008, 2:14 PM

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I have this problem too

Ive come up with a few different snack
I like to cut up a few celery stick and take a couple Tbsp or 1/2 the fat jalapeno cream cheese to dip them in (4 celery stick and 2 Tbsp cream cheese = 90cal)
Popcorn is always good
You can eat a few multigrain tostitos with just salsa (salsa is really good for you actually)


Monday, November 17, 2008, 3:19 PM

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I like air-popped popcorn. I spray a bit of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and then I sprinkle a teaspoon of ranch seasoning and mix it up. It's so good...

Monday, November 17, 2008, 5:23 PM

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1:59 - As someone who scoffed at cauliflower before, I must say it is my new favorite food after giving it a try the last few weeks.

I have not tried baking it though - just steamed, raw and mashed. I like it with garlic salt or just plain salt.
thanks 12:40! I will try that!

Monday, November 17, 2008, 5:39 PM

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