What can you have for a snack that won’t make you gain weight?

Many people wonder what they can have for a snack that won’t make them gain weight. Some people rely on so-called "miracle diets", but after a while, they realise they end up suffering from the dreaded rebound effect.

That is why following ahealthy, balanced dietwithout skipping any meals is the best option. In this article, we are going to talk about the mid-afternoon meal and how to do it in the most suitable way.

The importance of knowing what to snack on to avoid gaining weight

Most people are not aware of how important this meal is in the day and, therefore, they skip it. However, we must be clear that, when we do not have an afternoon snack,the body goes many hours without food.

As a result, the amount of glucose and energy available is reduced, which can be a problem for the functioning of the brain and other organs.

In addition, this means that, by the time dinner comes around,we feel hungrierthan we should. Unfortunately, our last meal of the day will probably be larger than necessary and that can tip the balance.

In other words, when we have an afternoon snack, we maintain propermetabolic activityand keep hunger under control, which helps us maintain our body weight. This brings us back to the question we asked at the start of this article: What can I have for a snack that won’t make me gain weight?

Healthy snacks

Although we have already made the importance of an afternoon snack clear, it is not enough to eat just anything. Like the rest of the day’s meals,it must be healthy and have a clear purpose. In this regard, we should leave industrial pastries and foods loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates aside.

These options provide more calories than we need and can cause hyperglycaemia, that is, an increase in blood sugar levels. Likewise, these foods encouragefat accumulation.

So, what can you have for a snack that won’t make you gain weight? The most advisable option is to choose a piece of fruit or other healthy products.

By consuming products that are not very healthy and leading a sedentary lifestyle, we are encouragingoverweight. In addition, we are likely to end up suffering a serious health problem within a short period of time.

Therefore, the most advisable thing is to keep goodcontrol of our dietin order to maintain fatty tissue. And this involves making some changes both to our eating habits and to our lifestyle.

Snacking and staying in shape

When we talk aboutwhat to have for a snack that won’t make you gain weight, we are directly referring to healthy snacks. Our recommendation is to always carry outgood planning.

Instead of going in blind and improvising, it is worth sitting down at home and planning the breakfasts, mid-morning snacks, lunches, afternoon snacks and dinners for the week. Once we have all that ready, we can go shopping.

In addition, this is an excellent way tobuy only what we needand avoid purchasing products that are neither healthy nor beneficial for our health.

The main goal is to have ahealthy snackthat is low in calories. In this way, we can stay in shape, control anxiety before dinner and, very importantly, avoid grazing between meals.

On the other hand, we will maintain our energy levels and our body will not slow down. As a result, it will be much easier for us tocontrol our weight.

How many calories should an afternoon snack contain? The most suitable approach is tospread daily calories across 5 meals. The amount corresponding to the afternoon snack should not exceed an intake of more than10 or 15%of the calories we consume in a day.

What can you have for a snack that won’t make you gain weight?

If you are asking yourself what can I have for a snack if I am dieting?, we can choose from the following suggestions.

1. Smoothies for tasty, healthy snacks

Smoothiesare refreshing, tasty and very filling. We can use our favourite fruit in moderation (no more than half a cup), yoghurt, a plant-based drink or milk.

Another option is homemade green smoothies. For example, we can mix a kiwi, an apple and skimmed milk or a yoghurt.

2. Fruit with peanut butter

Peanutsare healthy and provide a large amount of energy naturally. In this regard, peanut butter provides our body with healthy fats and, in addition, it is highly filling.

We can combine it with fruits such as strawberries or bananas.

3. Toast withmozzarellaand tomato

When we fancy something more savoury, we can choose a slice of wholemeal bread, a littlemozzarellacheese and 4cherrytomatoes. We simply need to toast the bread, cut the tomatoes and cheese, and arrange them alternately on top. To dress this healthy snack, nothing beatsa drizzle of olive oiland a few basil leaves.

4. Wholemeal toast with avocado

Once again, toasted wholemeal bread, but this time we addavocado, a food that provides us with vitamin E and monounsaturated fats. It is advisable not to overdo this food, so we should only eat this snack a couple of times a week.

5. Crudités with cream cheese

The combination ofcarrots, celery and cheesecan be one of the most interesting snacks that do not make you gain weight. We will cut these vegetables into sticks and spread them with the cheese. It is a way to enjoy a classic snack that is low in carbohydrates.

6. Tuna sandwich

Many people prefer a sandwich for their afternoon snack. The good news is that it is possible, but we must forget about processed meats.Lettuce, beetroot and a quarter of a tin of tunamake a perfect combination for a snack that won’t make you gain weight.

At Farmaciasdirect, we offer our readers valuable advice they can use in everyday life. So now that we knowwhat to have for a snack that won’t make you gain weight, it is time to try these tasty and very healthy alternatives.

Bibliography

• Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN). (2021). Importance of healthy snacks in the daily diet.
• World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Guidelines on a healthy and balanced diet.
• Gómez, R., and Martínez, L. (2019). Healthy snacks: Low-calorie options for maintaining weight. Spanish Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 23(2), 135-142.
• Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs. (2022). Recommendations for a balanced afternoon snack.
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2017). The Nutrition Source: Healthy Snack Ideas.