by Beth
Hi guys and happy Tuesday!
Since the Whole Foods Breakfast Ideas post was such a hit, I decided to go with my idea to do one for Whole Foods Snack Ideas as well. I had already written a post about snacks before, but this time I decided to update it and customize it a bit more towards following Weight Watchers PointsPlus and doing the actual break down of PointsPlus per serving.
My typical day of eating goes something like this:
- 7:30am – Wake up
- 8:30am – Leave the house
- 9:00am – Get to work
- 9:30am – have coffee
- 10am – eat breakfast at desk
- 12:30pm – eat lunch
- 3-3:30pm – have snack
- 6-7pm – have dinner
- 9pm – have snack/dessert
Of course, I make adjustments based on when I’m hungry, but that’s the pattern my body usually follows and who am I to argue? Before I was really successful with losing weight, I used to think that eating as little as possible was the ultimate secret to being thin. I would have a light breakfast and lunch and then try to pretend I wasn’t hungry for an afternoon snack and resist the urge to eat. But then, I couldn’t stand it anymore and would inevitably end up ravenous, eating everything in sight as soon as I walked in the door. Obviously, this idea was mistaken.
Once I came to terms with the fact that snacking between meals was actually a good thing that would help me stick to my weight loss goals, I started experimenting with different snacks to see what would work best. Initially, I tried to find the lowest point snacks possible so that I wasn’t taking away too many points from what I could have at my meals. I would often have veggies, a piece of fruit, or plain popcorn. While all these are good for you and good for snacks, they wouldn’t fill me up at all and I would find my body screaming for something else not long after I was done. Eating several low point things would add up to eating just one 3-4 point snack that actually kept me satisfied for a few hours, so 3-4 pts+ is what I aim for with my afternoon snack.
I found that the trick to finding a satisfying snack that would actually hold me over until dinner was to combine protein, carbs, and healthy fats. Having a carbohydrate-rich food with a protein chaser or healthy fat helps keep your blood sugar elevated and keeps you satisfied for longer. Carbs give you an immediate source of energy that powers your brain. Fat slows the digestion of the carbohydrate, causing it to slowly absorb into the bloodstream so that your blood sugar doesn’t spike. Protein helps keep you full for longer and helps maintain your blood sugar level.
Carbohydrate Ideas:
- Fruit (0 pts+)
- Mashed Banana (0 pts+)
- Frozen Grapes (0 pts+)
- Rice Cakes (1 pts+ each)
- Wasa Crackers (2 slices = 1pt+)
- English Muffin (3 pts+ each)
- Ezekial 4:9 Bread (1 slice = 2pts+)
- Raisins (1 tbsp = 1 pt+)
- Plain Popcorn (3 cups = 2pts+)
- Whole Wheat Pita (1 small = 2pts+)
Protein/Healthy Fats:
- Nut Butters (1 tsp = 1pt+)
- Hummus (1/4 cup = 3 pts+)
- Fat-Free Milk (1 cup = 2 pts+)
- Non-fat Greek yogurt (1 cup = 3 pts+, 1/2 cup = 1pt+)
- Almonds (8 = 1pt+)
- Low Fat Cottage Cheese (1/2 cup = 2 pts+)
- Sliced Cheese (1-2 pts+)
- String Cheese (1-2 pts+)
- Mashed Avocado (1 oz = 1 pt+)
- Laughing Cow Cheese (2 slices = 1pt+)
- Olive Oil (1 tsp = 1 pts+)
- Parmesan (1 tbsp = 1 pts+)
- Smoked Salmon (1 oz = 1 pt+)
- Hard Boiled Egg (1 = 2 pts+, 3 whites = 1 pt+)
- Shrimp (2 oz = 1 pts+)
- Edamame (1 cup, in pods = 2 pts+)
Here are some ideas that combine the two for 3-4 pts+ each:
- Simple Tzatziki with Pita (1/2 cup greek yogurt mixed with cucumber, dill, and red onion, served with a toasted pita for dipping) (3 pts+ total)
- Loaded Toast 1 slice Ezekial 4:9 Sprouted Sesame, toasted, with 2 tsp nut butter of choice and 1/2 a banana, mashed (4 pts+)
- Cottage Cheese + Berries (1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 2 wasa crackers and frozen berries, thawed) (3 pts+)
- Popcorn Snack (3 cups air popped popcorn, tossed with 1 tsp olive oil first, then 1 tbsp parmesan, salt, and pepper (4 pts+)
- Smoked Salmon Stacks (2 Wasa Crackers, topped with 1/4 cup each nonfat greek yogurt and 1 oz smoked salmon, and dill for garnish (4 pts+)
- Egg White Salad (3 egg whites, chopped, tossed with celery, 1 tbsp light mayo, salt, pepper) on top of a whole wheat pita (4 pts+)
- Banana Nut Pops (Cut banana in half, melt 1 tsp each semisweet chocolate chips and nut butter of choice and drizzle evenly over banana. Crush 8 almonds and sprinkle over bananas, then place in freezer until hardened, at least 10 minutes)
- Shrimp Cocktail (4 oz shrimp, served with 2 tbsp store-bought cocktail sauce) (3 pts+)
- English muffin toasted, spread with 1 oz mashed avocado and salt to taste (4 pts+)
- 1.5 cups edamame, sprinkled with sea salt (3 pts+)
- TMB 1 slice Ezekial 4:9 bread with sliced tomato, 1 oz part-skim mozzarella and tomato (4 pts+)
- Hummus and Veggies – 1/4 cup store-bought hummus with carrots, celery, and cherry tomatoes for dipping (3 pts+)
- Apple Dunkers (Ezekiel 4:9 Bread, toasted, with 1 tsp butter and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, cut into strips, served with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce for dipping) (3 pts+)
- Ants on a Log – Celery Sticks stuffed with 1 tbsp nut butter, sprinkled with 1 tbsp raisins (4 pts+)
- Banana, sliced lengthwise, drizzled with 1/2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp raisins, and 8 almonds, crushed (3 pts+)
A Few Grab and Go Options (Pair w/fruit if desired)
- Hard Boiled Egg (2 pts+)
- String Cheese (1-2 pts+)
- Almonds (8 = 1 pt+)
- Frozen Grapes (0 pts+)
- Ezekiel 4:9 with 2 tsp almond butter and mashed banana, folded into a half sandwich (4 pts+)
- 2 sliced laughing cow cheese with an apple (1 pts+)
Are you a snacker? What is your favorite, most satisfying snack? I know some people don’t need an afternoon snack, but I really do. If I don’t have one I end up SO hungry by the time I get home around 5:30/5:45 I’ve barely dropped my purse before I’m elbow deep in my cupboard grabbing anything and everything I can get my hands on!
