Weight Loss Program Diet Tips - Healthy Snacks That Satisfy

Healthy weight loss programs don't have to mean diet drudgery. Sure, you may have to give up certain foods, but for most of us it's about food and snack choices that allow us to still eat foods we enjoy the taste of, but that are lower in fat, sugar, and empty carbohydrates. Since many of us eat healthy meals but sabotage our diets by snacking on the wrong foods, learning to replace them with satisfying but healthy treats can put us back on course. These weight loss tips should help.

Here's some quick, tasty, and satisfying snacks that will bolster your weight loss program.

• Feel like you want a sweet snack, but you're not sure what?

First, try a glass of juice-water. What the heck is juice water? Think of it as a weight loss supplement. It's an invention on mine to make sure I get enough water, which I have a hard time drinking by itself. Fill a glass 7 or 8 parts with water, and top off the rest with orange juice, lemonade, limeade, ruby red grapefruit, or whatever you prefer. It makes a tasty, filling, and often craving-crushing treat that's also very low in sugar.

Healthy Weight Loss Diet Tip: Never drink your juices straight up. Way too much sugar. Always dilute them as juice water. This habit alone will trim calories off your weight loss diet every day. It also stretches your grocery dollars if you use lemonade or limeade concentrates. They're far less costly than orange juice, and ounce for ounce their stronger taste does a more efficient job of flavoring your water.

• Need something with "mouth feel"? In other words, something to chew on?

If you definitely feel the need for something to satisfy the eating urge, try a tablespoon of peanut butter, which should be on almost everyone's weight loss diet program. It has just enough fat for flavor and just enough sweetness to satisfy. For it's size and caloric value, it's also filling. Want to juice it up? Dip-up a little of your favorite fruit preserve. It also makes a quick one-spoonful dessert.

• Feel like you gotta have some chocolate ice cream?

Try chocolate Ovaltine and milk. It's chocolaty, it's delicious, and it includes vitamins and minerals. It's also far more filling than ice cream, which is in fact not filling at all. But use just one or two tablespoons of Ovaltine, not the recommended four. One or two is plenty, and it reduces your sugar consumption.

Another chocolate ice cream switcheroo is hot chocolate, but don't reach for the chemical-laden packaged mix. Instead, heat a cup of milk in the microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes, then add one or two tablespoons of Ovaltine.

• Have a hankering for a pastry?

Just make sure you grab a few weight loss pills to go with it. Instead, have a piece of toast with jam. Whole grain bread has real protein, and far fewer carbs than pastry. If you toast it, you also improve the fiber benefit for your body. Add a thin layer of apple butter for extra satisfaction. (Apple butter has less sugar than other fruit jellies and preserves.)

Substitutes: honey on the bread instead of preserves, and half of an English muffin instead of a slice of whole grain bread.

• You can squelch almost any sweet tooth attack with a healthy serving of fruit.

Try to always keep around a bag of apples and oranges. Since you can't always get the fruit you want in season, keep some raisins in the pantry. Just a small scoop will satisfy almost any sweet tooth. But be sure to brush your teeth afterwards. Raisins are really good at sticking to your teeth, and you don't want the sugar hanging around there.

Other suggestions:

• Small handful of peanuts, almonds, or cashews = healthy fats and protein.
• A few small pieces of extra sharp cheese. The sharpness is important, because the sharper the cheese, the more flavor each piece contains. The more flavor, the quicker your taste buds are satisfied. The cheese advantage is that it packs protein, calcium, and a little fat in each chunk.
• For extra enjoyment without added calories, brew a cup of coffee to have with the cheese. Coffee and sharp cheeses are a match made in heaven.
• If you definitely need a large snack or small meal, cottage cheese and pineapple chunks are fast and easy. If you buy canned pineapple chunks, be sure to check the label for sugar content; they're not all alike. This combination gives you calcium, protein, a little fat, and fruit fiber.

Sure, every now and again you need to let go and eat that big bowl of chocolate ice cream. When the time comes, savor it for all it's worth. But on a daily basis, if you'll make some sensible substitutions in the snacking department, you'll lower your daily calorie intake and put yourself on track for long-term healthy weight loss and proper diet management.

See Paul's test of the Cheia Vida Slim 10 Day Slim Down Challenge, with videos and weight loss tips on his blog at http://fasthealthyweightloss.wordpress.com

Paul W. Whitten is a life-long nutrition, health, & fitness enthusiast. He writes about his fat burning dietary exploits to help others lose weight too.