by Sifu Renka

Focusing on low carb snacks can have a surprising impact on your overall weight loss goals. With so many people having busy schedules today, you may find yourself doing more snacking than eating regular meals. Even if your lifestyle isn’t so hectic that you miss sitting down to meals, you may still find yourself eating snacks throughout the day. The quality of these snacks, and how often you partake of them, can be quite significant. Snack calories can add up fast, especially if you aren’t paying attention to them!

If you eat snacks out of vending machines, like candy, potato chips or pretzels, your snacking habits could definitely use some improvement. These “foods” are not only high in carbohydrates, but they are essentially empty calories, often containing lots of sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats.

The workplace can be especially treacherous when it comes to being tempted by frequent, high calorie snacks. This is especially true during the holiday season, of course, but it can also occur throughout the year. Many offices have frequent little parties for people’s birthdays, special events where everyone brings in food and the like. It can be difficult to refuse these treats; in fact, it might even make you feel like you’re being rude. One thing you can train yourself to do is to take very small portions on these special occasions, and don’t go back for seconds, even if they are offered!

It’s important to have healthy, low calorie and low carb snacks on hand when you are at work, school, on the road or even at home. This way if you get the munchies in between meals you can easily reach for something healthy and more easily resist the higher calorie temptations. What are some healthy, low carb snacks that you can arm yourself with?

Nuts are a good choice, as they are high in protein and healthy fats. Almonds, cashews, sunflowers and walnuts are all good for you. You can get all of these in nut butter form (or you can learn to make it yourself with a grinder). These nuts are all superior to peanuts or peanut butter, though even peanuts are okay in small amounts. When eating nuts, try to get pure ones without added salt, sugar or artificial ingredients.

Fruits and vegetables are another good choice. Carrots and celery are both good, and can be made more palatable by dipping them in healthy things like spinach dips, hummus or guacamole. Fruits such as apples, grapes, blueberries and pomegranates are all good for you and rich in antioxidants. If you prefer juices, be sure to get pure juice and not ones with added sugar. Even all natural fruits and juices, healthy as they are, should be consumed in moderation, as even natural sugars can be fattening if consumed in high quantities.

Popcorn, when it’s air-popped or cooked in healthy oils is another healthy snack that is low in calories. It’s best to pop your own and put a modest amount of sea salt on it. You don’t really need any other toppings. Avoid the artificial “butter” put on movie popcorn.

If you are focusing on improving your snacking habits, you should also make sure that you are consuming enough water. This can reduce your hunger pangs in between meals. Our bodies can actually mistakenly think we need food when what we really need is water. Water is much healthier than other thirst quenchers such as soda and energy drinks, which tend to be either high in sugar or full or artificial ingredients and stimulants.

These are just a few healthy and low carb snacks to get your mind working in the direction of eating healthier in between meals!