Eliminating your favorite foods from your daily diet can be one of the most challenging aspects of a weight loss regimen. Nonetheless, it's crucial to identify suitable snack options, especially for those inevitable moments between meals. While snacking might seem counterproductive during a weight loss journey, it's a reality for most of us. Therefore, it's wise to be well-prepared with healthy, nourishing snacks that support both weight loss and muscle gain. To help you make the right snacking choices, we've consulted with experts who share their top recommendations.
When it comes to selecting or preparing snacks, there are a few key factors to consider. One of them is ensuring that your snack provides a satisfying dose of protein. According to Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics who serves on our Medical Expert Board, "Protein is renowned for its ability to induce feelings of fullness and satisfaction. Opting for protein-rich snacks can leave you feeling content and less likely to overindulge later on. This, in turn, can assist in managing your overall calorie intake, ultimately contributing to your weight loss goals."
When aiming for weight loss, the objective is to reduce fat while preserving muscle mass. Protein is essential for your body to repair and maintain muscle tissue. By including protein-packed snacks in your diet, you'll ensure that your body receives the vital elements needed to safeguard lean muscle mass as you progress on your weight-loss journey.
Now, let's delve into the top 10 snacks recommended by experts to help you lose weight and gain muscle. Continue reading to discover more.
1) Cottage Cheese With Whole-Grain Crackers
Cottage cheese stands as a reliable choice in the realm of snacks. As recommended by Goodson, savoring half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese alongside fresh cucumber slices and whole-grain crackers is a delightful option. Cottage cheese possesses the advantage of being low in calories while packing a substantial protein punch, a crucial factor for promoting satiety during weight loss endeavors. A half-cup serving contains a mere 90 calories and supplies approximately 12 grams of protein. Additionally, you benefit from a noteworthy intake of calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
2) Hummus With Mozzarella Cheese Sticks and Carrots
Fresh hummus consistently satisfies your snacking cravings. Goodson recommends relishing two tablespoons of your preferred hummus alongside two mozzarella string cheese sticks and a serving of baby carrots, delivering a snack that totals under 250 calories. Two tablespoons of hummus account for approximately 82 calories while offering three grams of satisfying protein and two grams of fiber.
3) Tuna Salad
A nutritious snack option from StarKist® Tuna Creations® offers a mere 80 calories per pouch, yet provides a substantial 12 grams of protein. It's a guilt-free indulgence that not only fills you up but also helps maintain stable blood sugar levels, preventing energy crashes and unhealthy cravings, all thanks to its protein content. This insight comes from The Nutrition Twins®, Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, CDN, CFT, and Lyssie Lakatos, RD, CDN, CFT, who serve on our Medical Expert Board.
"When it comes to muscle building, having protein throughout the day is crucial, especially during snack time to meet your protein needs," The Nutrition Twins explain. "Tuna contains omega-3 fatty acids known for reducing inflammation, which can aid in improving muscle strength and facilitating weight loss. Furthermore, StarKist is wild-caught, reducing the likelihood of contaminants that cause inflammation, and making it easier for muscles to repair and rebuild, ultimately supporting weight loss. A nutritious tuna-packed snack like StarKist® Tuna Creations® Whole Grain Dijon Mustard Tuna Salad offers 12 grams of protein in each 80-calorie pouch, making it a satisfying treat that stabilizes blood sugar and wards off energy crashes and unhealthy cravings, all thanks to its protein content."
Preparing this snack is a breeze. Simply open the pouch and enjoy the tuna on its own, or enhance it by adding baby carrots or whole-grain crackers. On days when you're especially hungry, indulging in two pouches amounts to a mere 160 calories and an impressive 24 grams of protein.
4) A Creamy Vanilla Plant Protein Beverage
Here's another swift, uncomplicated, and delightful snack option. Just combine Om Master Blend Creamy Vanilla Plant Protein with cold water, and you can relish 21 grams of muscle-nourishing protein for a mere 120 calories.
According to The Nutrition Twins, "You'll also benefit from 3.7 grams of the recommended 16 to 20 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA's) per day, which can potentially reduce muscle soreness and boost muscle growth. Om also includes a potent full-spectrum ashwagandha root extract that has the potential to reduce stress levels. This means a reduction in cortisol, commonly known as the belly fat hormone, making it easier to shed abdominal fat."
5) Hard-Cooked Eggs
When you're unsure about your snack choice, you can always turn to hard-cooked eggs. Eggs are a superb option for weight loss, as they are low in calories and deliver six grams of filling protein per egg. Moreover, they are excellent at keeping you satisfied. Notably, Eggland's Best Eggs contains just 50 calories per egg, which is lower than the calorie content of other eggs that can exceed 70 calories.
The Nutrition Twins provide insight: "All eggs are rich in the essential amino acid leucine, crucial for muscle development. However, Eggland's Best Eggs stand out due to their unique hen feed, resulting in 25% less saturated fat, more than double the anti-inflammatory omega-3s, and six times the vitamin D content compared to regular eggs. This distinction is especially significant because research suggests that adequate vitamin D intake can boost weight loss while reducing body fat."
6) Pumpkin Seeds
Consider Raw Organic Heirloom Pumpkin Seeds as a powerhouse snack choice, offering an impressive 10 grams of protein, two grams of fiber, and a mere 160 calories per ounce. These pumpkin seeds are an ideal option for an evening snack, primarily because they are a rich source of magnesium, which enhances sleep quality. Moreover, getting sufficient sleep can lead to reduced calorie intake.
"If you follow a vegan diet, pumpkin seeds stand out as one of the top sources of the essential amino acid leucine, crucial for triggering muscle growth and recovery," emphasizes The Nutrition Twins. "Most plant-based foods contain minimal leucine. Sunfood utilizes a unique heirloom variety of pumpkin seeds, which imparts a distinctive nutty flavor, and they employ a low-temperature drying process to preserve the nutrient content. Additionally, these pumpkin seeds contain no added salt or sugar, a departure from many other pumpkin seed products that often induce cravings for salty and sugary foods, potentially leading to overeating."
7) Plain Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is frequently endorsed by dietitians as an excellent choice for a weight-loss snack and for good reasons. Specifically, Maia Grassfed Plain Greek Yogurt is a standout option, offering a mere 100 calories while supplying a generous 16 grams of protein.
"This grass-fed yogurt boasts an optimal calorie-to-protein ratio for an effective weight-loss snack, delivering a substantial protein boost that also aids in muscle development and repair," clarifies The Nutrition Twins. "Most non-fat yogurts on the market contain anywhere from six to 20 grams of added sugar, but Maia's plain yogurt doesn't include any added sugar. Even Maia's flavored yogurts contain just three grams of added sugar. The excessive added sugar found in most other yogurt brands can lead to inflammation, making weight loss more challenging—however, this isn't the case with this yogurt."
8) Protein Bar
Whether you need a snack before or after your workout, a ProMix Vanilla Protein Puff Bar is a valuable choice. It's loaded with 15 grams of protein and five grams of fiber while maintaining a modest calorie count of only 150.
"The primary ingredient in these bars is whey protein, and research indicates that consuming whey protein before or after a workout can support muscle development, as well as enhance muscular strength and endurance," explains The Nutrition Twins. "ProMix utilizes grass-fed whey and avoids the inclusion of seed oils, which is a departure from many other bars. This helps in averting toxins and contaminants that promote inflammation and hinder weight loss progress."