Healthy Snack Ideas

Many people struggle to come up with healthy snack ideas for some of those meals in-between breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Finding healthy alternatives to junk food like chips, soda, and candy can be quite the tough task. Snacking is where many of us can get into a lot of trouble because of the excess refined carbs, fat, and salt found in most packaged, processed snack foods.

Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of healthy, quality snacks, along with the nutritional information for each item. All the snacks below comply with the healthy eating guidelines that we stress on this site. Healthy snacking means adding more fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains to your diet.

By eating the right types of snack foods between meals, you can actually lose weight. Why? Because first, you take in less calories and more nutrients with these snacks. And second, you'll be more full and less likely to eat more when you eat healthy snacks in-between larger meals like lunch and dinner.

Below you'll find a variety of healthy snack ideas along with nutrition information for each. Feel free to experiment and mix and match some of these. Also, adding fresh herbs like basil, parsley, dill, rosemary, chives, and thyme can help spice up many of these healthy snacks. Also, watch your salt intake and try and pick no- or low-sodium options whenever possible.

There are plenty of dairy products that are great ideas for a healthy snack. However, they're also are the biggest sources of saturated fat, so it's important to choose the right snacks. Choose plain, low fat yogurt over flavored yogurt, which is filled with sugar. And, always look for low fat milk and cheese over the full fat alternative. Here are some healthy snack ideas from the dairy food group:

1 Hard Boiled Egg: Calories: 77, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Carbs: 1g, Protein: 6g

1 Egg White: Calories: 17, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 0g, Protein: 3.5g

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese: Calories: 80, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: .5g, Carbs: 5g, Sodium: 410mg, Protein: 13g

1 Stick Sargento Reduced Fat String cheese: Calories: 50, Fat: 2.5g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 1g, Protein: 6g

1 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt: Calories: 120, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 9g, Protein: 20g

For the most part, eating vegetables as a healthy snack is a no-brainer. But, you can still get into trouble if you combine healthy veggies with cheese- and ranch-based dips. There are plenty of vegetables you can eat raw or with a little bit of hummus or other healthy dressing, including broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, peppers, snap peas, tomatoes, and zucchini. Here are some healthy snack ideas for you veggie lovers:

7 Celery Sticks: Calories: 15, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 2g, Protein: 1g

10 Baby Carrots: Calories: 40, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 9g, Protein: 1g

1 Medium Tomato: Calories: 25, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 1g, Protein: 1g

1 cup Sliced Cucumbers: Calories: 16, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 3g, Protein: 1g

1/2 cup Chopped Red Peppers: Calories: 13, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 3g, Protein: .5g

1/2 cup Avocado: Calories: 120, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Carbs: 13g, Protein: 3g

8 oz. Low Sodium V8 Vegetable Juice: Calories: 50, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 10g, Protein: 2g

Eating a piece of fruit is a great idea for a healthy snack. Problem is, many people think fruit snacks, juices, and frozen fruit bars are healthy snacks. Stick to these real fruits and you'll be in good shape:

1 Gala Apple: Calories: 80, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 22g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 0g

1 Banana: Calories: 90, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 23g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 1

1 cup Strawberries: Calories: 50, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 11g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 1g

1 cup Raspberries: Calories: 64, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 15g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 1g

1 cup Blueberries: Calories: 84, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 21g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 1g

1 Orange: Calories: 64, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 16g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 1g

Most cuts of beef and pork are high in fat and sodium. Choose lower-fat, reduced-sodium brands of turkey, ham, and roast beef when you're in the mood for a more carnivorous snack, and eat a smaller portion that you would for lunch or dinner. Here are some healthy meat-based snack ideas:

1/2 can Tuna: Calories: 75, Fat: 2.5g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 0g, Protein: 16g

1/2 cup Cubed Chicken Breast: Calories: 127, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 0g, Protein: 19g

2 oz. Low Sodium Turkey Breast: Calories: 50, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 1g, Sodium: 270mg, Protein: 11g

2 oz. Low Sodium Roast Beef: Calories: 80, Fat: 2.5g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 1g, Sodium: 80mg, Protein: 15g

Yes, nuts are high in calories but they're also high in belly-filling fiber and good fats. A palmful of raw nuts is a great snack that offers plenty of healthy benefits. Try these:

1/4 cup Walnuts: Calories: 164, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 3g, Protein: 4g

1/4 cup Almonds: Calories: 156, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 5g

1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds: Calories: 170, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 11g

1 oz. Peanuts: Calories: 160, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 7g

1/4 cup Cashews: Calories: 160, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Carbs: 7g, Protein: 5g

1/2 cup Pistachios (in shells): Calories: 160, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 8g, Protein: 6g

2 T Reduced Fat Peanut Butter: Calories: 190, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g, Carbs: 15g, Protein: 8g

2 T Almond Butter Butter: Calories: 190, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 6g, Protein: 8g

Eating grain-based snack foods like chips, crackers, and snack cakes is where most people get into trouble. If you have a craving for crackers, make sure they're whole wheat (like Triscuits). Also, remove one serving from the box (read the side panel to determine the serving size) and put the box away. Don't just mindlessly eat until you're full. Baking whole wheat pita bread and eating it with hummus is another easy way to satisfy your snack craving. Here are a few more healthy snack ideas:

2 T Hummus: Calories: 60, Fat: 3.5g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 1g

1 Whole Wheat Pita: Calories: 150, Fat: 2.5g, Saturated Fat: .5g, Carbs: 29g, Protein: 8g

Clif Z Bar: Calories: 120, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 22g, Protein: 3g

Myoplex Lite Bar: Calories: 190, Fat: 4.5g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g, Carbs: 27g, Protein: 15g

Kashi Granola Bar: Calories: 15, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 19g, Protein: 7g

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