Saturday, December 3, 2011

Healthy snacks for WEIGHT LOSS and PAIN PREVENTION

One of the best ways to decrease stress on your joints (and therefore decrease PAIN) is to maintain a healthy weight. So here are some healthy snack options to consider. Always remember to check your portion sizes, even with healthy or low-fat foods. A serving size is often much less than you would expect. This is good news for fruit servings but bad news for dessert servings.

1. 1/2 of a large fruit, or 1 small-medium sized fruit. Or eat the whole large fruit and that counts as 2 of your fruit servings for the day!
2. Icy Pops. They are inexpensive, take several minutes to eat, and are very low in calories.
3. Yogurt. This could be a good replacement for ice cream.
4. Jello. It's low calories, sweet, and fun!
5. Nuts or seeds. Check your serving sizes before you begin munching though.
6. Triscuits. They have only 3 ingredients!
7. Hummus. It is full of protein! This is actually my son's favorite food!
8. Raw veggies, such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, etc. If you like to dip them, try hummus or fat-free sour cream (may want to add lemon pepper or another seasoning to the sour cream).
9. Deli meats (a few thin slices rolled up). These are usually high in sodium, so not the best option for those with high blood pressure.
10. Cereal. A serving with low-fat or skim milk might get you through your next sweet tooth.
11. Sauteed vegetables. Whenever I make them, I can't help but munch on them, especially if they are seasoned right (pepper, garlic powder, fresh lime juice, etc)

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