How to Make a Healthy Snack

Published on Monday, February 13, 2012, by Leah Koenig / Edit Post

Healthy Snacks Under 200 Calories

Snacks like potato chips, granola bars, and those ubiquitous Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs tend to be low in nutrients and high in fast-burning energy that soon leaves you hungry again. So what makes a good snack? Start by keeping it between 150 and 200 calories, says Kathy McManus, director of the Nutrition Department at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "Eating 100 calories or less of something is not necessarily adequate to curb cravings and can lead to continuous snacking," she says. Eating more starts to turn your snack into an extra meal, so pay attention to portion sizes. Websites like Calorie Count let you quickly check how many calories are in a snack, like a slice of cheese, or yogurt with fruit.

The other key to a good snack: mixing proteins and carbs, says Connie Diekman, director of University Nutrition for Washington University in St. Louis and past president of the American Dietetic Association. "Nutrient-rich carbohydrates, like whole grains and fruits or vegetables, restore fuel; and protein, like lean meat, beans, nuts, eggs, or dairy, keeps blood sugar from dropping too quickly," she says. And of course, keep that balance delicious! Get started with these six snack ideas.

PARMESAN-DILL POPCORN
Toss 2 cups of air-popped popcorn with 1/2 tablespoon of melted unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese or 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Season with a dash of sea salt and dried dill to taste.
Calorie count: about 155.

SWEET POTATO TOAST
Stir together 1 cup of cooked mashed sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a dash of kosher salt, and dried thyme and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Top 1 slice of toasted sourdough bread with 2 1/2 tablespoons of the warmed sweet potato spread and dust with more pepper. Refrigerate the remaining spread in a covered container for another time.
Calorie count: about 155.

MINTED LENTILS
Toss 1/2 cup of cooked green lentils with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a dash of salt. Top with 2 tablespoons of nonfat plain Greek yogurt and sprinkle with a teaspoon or so of chopped fresh mint.
Calorie count: about 170.

SPICY TURKEY THINS
Spread 2 RYVITA Crispbreads with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and 2 slices of deli turkey each. Sprinkle with a few drops of Sriracha hot chile sauce.
Calorie count: about 170.

BANANA PUDDING
Stir together 1/3 cup of plain low-fat yogurt with 2 teaspoons of honey and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Fold in 1/2 of a thinly sliced banana and top with 2 crushed vanilla wafer cookies.
Calorie count: about 175.

ALMOND BUTTER PORRIDGE
Stir 2 teaspoons of almond butter into 2/3 cup cooked Cream of Wheat (prepared with water and a dash of salt). Drizzle the mixture with 2 1/2 teaspoons of maple syrup.
Calorie count: about 196.

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POST A COMMENT |13 Comments

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  • Just read some of the other comments and I wholeheartedly agree with goodhealthgourmet. It's standard nutional knowledge that a healthy snack has a good balance of protein, fat & complex carbs. It's not rocket science.

  • I LOVE two slices of Light & Crispy Wasa crackers slathered w/ almond butter and a drizzle of local honey. It's like 10 carbs total and a nice shot of protein and good fat.

    Also, oat bran is maybe a better choice than Cream of Wheat. You can find less processed varieties and it has more nutritional bang for your caloric buck. It's very similiar in taste and texture.

    I can't imagine the...+READ

    I LOVE two slices of Light & Crispy Wasa crackers slathered w/ almond butter and a drizzle of local honey. It's like 10 carbs total and a nice shot of protein and good fat.

    Also, oat bran is maybe a better choice than Cream of Wheat. You can find less processed varieties and it has more nutritional bang for your caloric buck. It's very similiar in taste and texture.

    I can't imagine the benefit of eating mashed sweet potatoes spread on toasted white bread. Seems like a total waste of calories. You might as well eat potato chips.-COLLAPSE

  • @LKoenig: Thank you for the new and exciting snack ideas! Sounds like a lovely way to spice up that sometimes drab munching.

    @everybody else: If you do not particularly fancy these ideas or otherwise disapprove, then move on and find something more preferable. If you do find something more to your fancy, why don't you share it all with us instead?
    Cheers

  • This is such a great resource that you are providing. this blog contain lot of information.Thanks for sharing.
    Franklin Fitness Coach

  • @LKoenig, i'm a nutrition professional myself, and have been for many years. my point was that those snacks aren't balanced. they're not "a little carb and a little protein," they're carb-heavy with a little fat and a touch of protein. whether it's a 100-calorie snack or a 400-calorie meal doesn't matter; the higher the proportion of protein (and fat), the more effective it will be at slowing the...+READ

    @LKoenig, i'm a nutrition professional myself, and have been for many years. my point was that those snacks aren't balanced. they're not "a little carb and a little protein," they're carb-heavy with a little fat and a touch of protein. whether it's a 100-calorie snack or a 400-calorie meal doesn't matter; the higher the proportion of protein (and fat), the more effective it will be at slowing the digestion of the carbs and blunting insulin spikes.-COLLAPSE

  • None of them sound like
    My kind of snack sadly.

  • @goodhealthgourmet - thanks for your comment. You got me thinking, so I checked back in with one of the nutrition experts I spoke to. She said that snacks don't need a ton of protein to be beneficial. It's a snack, not a meal remember, so the requirements are different. The *combination* of a little carb and a little protein is more important with regards to satiety than eating a substantial...+READ

    @goodhealthgourmet - thanks for your comment. You got me thinking, so I checked back in with one of the nutrition experts I spoke to. She said that snacks don't need a ton of protein to be beneficial. It's a snack, not a meal remember, so the requirements are different. The *combination* of a little carb and a little protein is more important with regards to satiety than eating a substantial amount of protein in every snack.

    - Leah Koenig-COLLAPSE

  • There's a typo in this list. You spelled Banana Yogurt as Banana Pudding.

  • @becqui, yes i'm quite aware of that. but look at the *amounts* of those ingredients in the "recipes." 2 tsp almond butter = 1.5 grams protein. 1/3 cup plain lowfat yogurt = 4 grams protein. 2 Tbsp shredded Parm or 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast = 4 grams protein. they're not really tipping the protein scales.

  • Of course, if you consume enough protein and fat (mainly fat) at mealtimes and lay off the carbs you won't need to snack because you won't be hungry. Just saying.

  • My go-to snacks are a piece of fruit + an ounce of nuts or cheese. I get enough excitement by varying the type of fruit, nuts, and cheese. I shoot for 200 calories/snack (2 snacks/day + 400 calorie meals 3x/day). If I get busy at work, the snacks get lumped together and become a meal, but it works because the flavors are all simple and complementary.

  • Yogurt, almond butter and Parmesan cheese are proteins.

  • "The other key to a good snack: mixing proteins and carbs." So where's the protein in all the suggested snacks besides the lentils and turkey thins?