15 healthy snacks for weight

Weight Loss
Coach Shivani
September 30,2022

Are you a snacker? Most people are. The problem with snacking is that when you’re snacking, you aren’t usually paying much attention to how much you’re eating and end up eating too much.

We see this a lot when we coach people. The first half of the day is usually a decent diet. It’s the snacking after 4 pm or 5 pm where things start going off track. In this article, we will show you how you can snack in a way that is healthy, satisfying and keeps you on track with weight loss and weight maintenance.

Snacking when done right can actually be a game changer if you are trying to lose and maintain weight

What counts as a healthy snack?

Think of a healthy snack as a mini-meal. And just like a meal, it should contain some nutrition like protein, carbs, fiber and healthy fats.

But whipping up a perfectly portioned snack is easier said than done. Who really has the time to measure out exact portions of foods when you’re starving at 5 pm! Don’t worry, we have taken the guesswork out of healthy snacks and have listed the ultimate go-to list for tasty and healthy snacks for weight loss.

Some of these snacks are low calorie and high fiber while some snacks are higher in protein and fat. Basically, there is something for everyone.

In this article we’ve covered the following snack ideas:

  1. Greek yogurt and mixed berries
  2. Cucumber slices with hummus
  3. Fruit or fruit salad
  4. Boiled eggs
  5. Veggie smoothie
  6. Oats smoothie
  7. Popcorn
  8. Makhana
  9. Raw cut veggies
  10. Fruit popsicles
  11. Banana ice cream
  12. Chickpea/ channa chaat
  13. Dry bhel
  14. Roasted channa dal or roasted soy bean
  15. Pan toasted paneer

Healthy snacks for weight loss

Plain or greek yogurt and fruit

This is one of the quickest yet healthy snacks for weight loss. It combines two things you will probably always have in your fridge and converts them into a tasty snack.

You can pick any seasonal fruit that you like, whether it is mango, sitafal (custard apple), chikoo or the year-around favorites like banana and apples.

You can have this any time of the day when cravings hit, whether it is mid-morning or in the evening.

Yogurt with mango

Hummus dip with vegetable sticks

Hummus is popular in Mediterranean cuisine in main meals but it can make a tasty snack too.

The key is to prepare a large batch of hummus and keep it in your fridge. Homemade hummus will usually last around 3-4 days from preparation.

You can make plain hummus using chickpea (chana) or you can add a vegetable twist to it by adding vegetables like spinach, red pepper or beetroot in the hummus itself.

Once you are stocked up on hummus in your fridge you can use it whenever you feel like a snack. All you have to do is chop some vegetable sticks. For example, cucumber, carrot and capsicum are tasty and crunchy, and pair very well with hummus. Slicing them takes less than 5 minutes.

Take a handful of the vegetable sticks and a tablespoon of hummus. Dip the sticks in the hummus and enjoy.

Vegetables with hummus dips: plain, spinach & beetroot

Fruit or fruit salad

Fruits are healthy, tasty and low calorie. You know this. But often we just forget to eat them on a daily basis.

Aim for 2 medium-sized fruits every day.

An apple is an example of a medium-size fruit. Fruits will give you water, fiber, vitamins, minerals and help you satisfy any sweet cravings. All are good things for you.

You can have the whole fruit or chop a combination of fruits in a cup. For example:

  • Apple & banana
  • Pineapple & grape
  • Banana & orange
  • Apple & grape

Pick any combination based on the fruits you like or that is available to you at that time.

You can sprinkle some cinnamon on top for extra flavor.

Cup of cut fruit

Boiled eggs

Eggs are packed with protein and a number of nutrients that are hard to get from other foods, like vitamin B12 and Selenium.

Eggs are not just for breakfast.

They make a quick and filling snack. If you have an egg-boiler at home, boiling eggs takes just 5 minutes. Boil 2 eggs, peel them, cut, sprinkle some salt & pepper and enjoy. It’s super quick, easy and makes for a healthy and tasty snack.

Boiled egg with salt & pepper

Also Read:20 Myths & facts related to diet & weight loss

Veggie smoothies

This is a healthy and low calorie evening snack for weight loss. Also a great way to get more vegetables into your diet.

When it comes to weight loss, you have two best friends: air and water.

Veggie smoothies have a high water content which helps keep you full. It is important that you do not strain the smoothie. Keep all the fiber as that is important for feeling full.

Here is a simple 3 step formula for a tasty and healthy vegetable smoothie for weight loss.

Step 1: Pick 1-3 vegetables

Some of the vegetables that work well in any vegetable smoothie are:

  • Cucumber
  • Tomato
  • Spinach
  • Beetroot
  • Carrots
  • Yellow pumpkin (cooked)

Step 2: Add some fruit

Depending on the vegetables you choose, you may find that the taste could use an upgrade. Some fruit does that job. Some fruits that work well are:

  • Banana
  • Apple
  • Orange
  • Pear

Step 3: Spice it up

Here are some excellent ways to add extra flavor and zing to any smoothie:

  • Ginger
  • Mint
  • Lime juice

Vegetable smoothies using different vegetables

Oats smoothie

You can use oats to make a filling smoothie as oats add bulk and make it very filling.

Add water, milk or curd and your favorite fruit to make it. A banana oats smoothie is an example of a filling and tasty oats smoothie.

You can prepare it the previous day and keep it in the fridge overnight if you prefer it cold. You could also have it in parts during the day when you feel a little hungry for a snack, like in the evening.

Oats & banana smoothie

Popcorn

Remember that we said that air and water are your best friends when it comes to healthy snacks for weight loss?

Popcorn is the perfect example of how you can use air.

After all, popcorn is mostly air.

Is popcorn mostly air from Daily9 Wellness on Vimeo.

A cup of popcorn makes for a healthy snack at any time of the day. Remember 3 important points:

  • Do not add any butter.
  • Eat 1-2 pieces at a time, not a handful. This way it will last longer and you are less likely to overeat.
  • Keep portions small, like 1 cup.

If you have it this way, popcorn is a low calorie, healthy and filling evening snack for weight loss.

Popcorn (without butter)

Makhana

Makhana is another air-filled and healthy snack.

Buy the plain makhana and flavor it at home.

Avoid the store versions as they have additional salts, oils etc which make it less healthy and higher-calorie.

A makhana bhel is a tasty way to use makhana with vegetables. It’s the usual bhel except that you use makhana instead of puffed rice. Skip the papdi and the sev to avoid deep fried items. A few peanuts will give you enough crunch and protein too. It’s a perfect healthy Indian snack for weight loss.

Makhana bhel

Raw cut veggies

A simple and healthy snack option for weight loss. You can slice any vegetable you like and have available at home. The below vegetables work very well as a snack:

  • Carrots
  • Cucumber
  • Red, green or yellow capsicum
  • Tomato or cherry tomatoes

You can add a dash of lime juice, salt & pepper to add more flavor.

Cut veggies like this are a healthy and filling evening snack for weight loss.

If you are not used to eating raw vegetables, start with small quantities and increase gradually.

Your body may need a little time to get used to it. Having too much too soon can sometimes cause digestive issues. Avoid all of these problems by starting with a small amount and increasing it slowly.

Raw cut veggies in a snack box

Fruit popsicles

Fruit popsicles are a fun way to use fruits, especially in hot weather.

Juice the fruit and add it to popsicle molds. Freeze overnight and it’s ready. You can even blend the fruit with some yogurt when making the popsicles.

Make a batch and stock in your freezer. That way, you will have it ready to eat whenever you need it.

Keeping such snacks prepared in advance ensures that you always snack healthy.

You can pick any fruit in season. Make sure to not strain the juice and retain the fiber. Try to use silicon molds and not plastic.

Fruit popsicles are zero sugar and a great way to beat the summer heat.

Fruit popsicles with different fruits

Also Read:Top 15 Indian Breakfasts for Weight Loss

Banana ice cream

This is the easiest ice cream recipe you’ll ever hear about. One ingredient only.

Banana & cinnamon ice-cream with walnut topping

The next time you find too many ripe bananas at home, freeze them and use them to make this delicious ice cream. It’s zero-sugar, healthy and perfect for weight loss.

You can add some cinnamon for flavor and top it up with a few nuts for extra crunch.

Chickpea / channa chaat

Here is another tasty Indian snack for weight loss.

Channa is a healthy snack option and has some protein too. A tasty way to have it as a snack is to make a chaat using it. You can use kabuli channa or kala channa.

It is similar to bhel, just use the channa instead of puffed rice. Add tomato, onion, green chili, lime, coriander and salt. You can also add some chaat masala.

It’s a quick, healthy and tasty snack option for weight loss.

Black Chickpea Chaat or Kala Chana Chaat

Dry bhel

The idea is to make the usual bhel but a healthier one. We use more of the vegetables and none of the fried stuff and chutneys.

This reduces the salt & sugar content of the bhel and the added vegetables make it healthier and more filling too.

Having chopped tomato, onion, chilli, lime and coriander in your fridge is a smart idea.

If you do this, you can make a quick & tasty snack at any time in 5 mins. Whether it is with makhana, channa or dry bhel. You can even grate carrot into the bhel.

Veggie bhel

Roasted channa dal or roasted soy bean

This is a ready-to-eat option you can easily buy in stores. Dry roasted chana or soy bean is crunchy, has protein and can be very filling.

It’s a great choice for a tasty and healthy snack while keeping you on track with your weight loss goals

Roasted chana dal

Pan roasted paneer

Paneer is rich in protein and is not just for main meals.

You can use paneer as a quick snack at any time.

Cut the paneer block into small squares and lightly fry it in a small amount (1 teaspoon) of oil. Add salt, pepper, chaat masala and turmeric, a quick squeeze of lemon juice, and it’s a quick, tasty and filling snack.

Paneer tikka

How to add snacks to your diet

The most effective way to add healthy snacks to your diet is to keep a stock of them in your pantry or fridge.

For example, you could prepare a week’s worth of snacks at the beginning of the week. Here are some examples of things you can prepare in advance that will help you snack healthy:

  • Slice and store veggie sticks using carrot, cucumber and capsicum
  • Prepare hummus in one large batch.
  • Store chopped tomatoes, onion, green chilli and coriander for bhel/chaat flavors
  • Juice fruit, pour into popsicle molds and keep in the freezer
  • Cut and freeze fruit for use in smoothies and with curd

Taking a little time to prepare in advance will be a game changer during your busy week when you have no time but want to snack healthy. With this advance preparation, you can be sure that you will snack healthy and stay on track with weight loss.

Conclusion

Snacking is a part of daily life. Instead of looking at it as a problem, use it as an opportunity to eat better and make progress with your weight loss and health.

Use the many options we have noted in this article to make healthy and tasty snacks for yourself as well as your family.

Soon you will find that these snacks push out most of the junk food in your pantry.

The Daily9 weight loss program

If you’re reading this, we know that weight loss is a high priority for you. We also know that there are many programs out there offering you quick weight loss. Many of them require you to do extreme things like eat zero or very low carbs or give up on foods like grains or dairy. These are not sustainable and can even harm your health. And in almost all these cases, the weight that you lose comes right back. This is disappointing and frustrating. We want to help you break this cycle.

At Daily9 our focus is helping you achieve weight loss in a way that lasts. Without doing anything extreme and by sticking to the Indian way of eating. You will see that in the healthy snacks for weight loss discussed above, we have provided a mix of Indian and multi-cuisine options, including possibilities that work if you are eating out occasionally. This is a more practical approach because many of us do eat out or order in. In our program we recognize this fact, and so aim to help you make better choices while also enjoying it. This makes Daily9 easy to follow in the long run and helps you with both weight loss and weight maintenance.

We’ve worked with thousands of Indian men and women and understand the unique challenges they face when trying to lose weight or find a weight loss diet plan. You can see some of our success stories . The Daily9 system is proven to work with weight loss and also many health conditions that Indian men and women face like digestive issues, diabetes, PCOS, thyroid, fatty liver and joint problems from excess weight.

Most importantly, the Daily9 weight loss diet plan is practical and suits an Indian family environment.

If you’re looking for a scientific and practical approach to weight loss, take a look at the Daily9 coaching program. It’s the only program that helps with weight loss and weight maintenance.

About the Author

Coach Shivani
Shivani is a Precision Nutrition-Certified Nutrition Coach with experience of coaching thousands of women. As a mom of two, Shivani knows what it takes for women to achieve weight loss & a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise & sleep habits. She dislikes one-size-fits-all type advice.

Related Blogs

Hot topics

More from this author

Other Recommended Blogs

Hot topics

Related Blogs

More from this author

     

    We’d love to help you out!

     

    We know that weight loss is confusing. Click the button below to chat with us on WhatsApp. We are happy to answer all your questions & help you decide if D9 is right for you.

    Continue to Chat

     

    ***

    Start your weight loss journey now with a 2-week free trial of our proven program!

     

    Free for real. No payment information required.

     

    👉 Start your free trial. 👈