Healthy Eating: 10 best snacks for weight loss

Snacking is a vital tool in your weight loss plan. Some people think sacrificing snacks help them lose weight.

Healthy snacks ensure you won't be ravenous come mealtime and keep your fat-burning metabolism revved up.

Here are 10 snacks that will make you feel like your diet is about anything but deprivation.

• Oatmeal

Oatmeal aren't just for breakfast they're good any time you need a hearty treat. Full of fiber, they help regulate blood sugar levels to keep you from crashing.

• Banana with peanut butter

Spread a tablespoon of peanut butter onto a banana. The carbs will give you a quick mood and energy spike, while the protein will keep the energy going for hours.

• Apple

An apple a day might not necessarily keep the doctor away, but it could help prevent weight gain.

• Dark chocolate

Rich in flavonoids and magnesium, there’s nothing wrong with one or two squares of dark chocolate to beat off the cravings for something a bit sweeter. Some nutritionists recommend dark chocolate, as a way of giving yourself a treat, when you are watching your weight.

• Fresh green salad

For a light and fresh salad just make up a mix of your favorite green leaves and raw vegetables, sprinkle on a little salt and add a dash of fresh lemon or lime juice. This snack will keep you going until your next meal and it won’t pile on the pounds.

• Melon

Another great healthy snack for weight loss is melon. Any food with high water content will fill you up and help you eat less, so watermelon is an ideal snack for when you are trying to lose weight.

• Boiled eggs

Boiled eggs are another variation of healthy snacks for weight loss. A simple boiled egg is filled with protein and contains only about 70 calories; eating egg also helps to promote the proper functioning of your thyroid gland, which is responsible for managing the rate of your metabolism.

• Smoothies

With the right ingredients, a smoothie can replace a meal and the great thing about smoothies is that the list of different flavors, from all the different fruits and vegetables is virtually endless. Just be careful that you don’t ruin the good aspects of smoothies by adding high fat milks, yoghurts and other less healthy ingredients.

• Yoghurt

If you go for the low or non-fat yoghurts, then yoghurt makes a great, no preparation snack too. It’s high in calcium and protein, and some dietitians have even suggested that if you eat three servings of low fat yoghurt a day, it can help you to lose weight.

• Nuts

You have to watch nuts, they do contain calories and it’s quite easy to eat too much, but, eaten in moderation, nuts can provide you with a good source of monounsaturated fats, which can reduce your cholesterol levels, and they are a great source of protein and fiber to help fill you up and give you energy.