Fact: as a nation, we don’t munch on nearly enough vegies. But when you’re trying to eat well and lose weight, sometimes the sight of yet another carrot stick with hummus is enough to see you making a beeline for the vending machine. The solution? Mix up your usual snack repertoire with more than just crunchy fruit and veg.
Bon appetite!
Roasted Chickpeas
These deliver all the crunch of potato chips but with no sodium and way more protein and fibre than any salt and vinegar crinkle cut! Soak 2 cups of chickpeas overnight then simply pat dry, drizzle with olive oil, roast at 180°C for 30 to 60 minutes and you’ve got a batch to last a few days. Jazz them up with turmeric, chilli, cayenne pepper or herbs for an instant flavour hit.
Avocado Salsa
Not just for spreading on toast! Research suggests the MUFAs (monounsaturated fats aka “good” fats) in this go-to brunch food can help keep you fuller for longer, not to mention the fibre, potassium and vitamin B you score by tucking in. Cut in half, remove the stone and fill the gap with freshly made salsa, or mash up and make into DIY guacamole. Simply add 1 tsp minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh coriander.
70% Dark Chocolate
We thought you’d like this one! For maximum benefit choose a bar with at least 70% cocoa—the intense flavour helps with satiety. Perfect with a cuppa at the end of a busy day, this is the luxury snack you can actually feel good about eating—provided you don’t devour the block.
Black or Green Olives
When you’re not starving, but need a little something to tide you over until dinner; chewy, briny olives are your answer. They’re deeply flavourful, full of belly-flattening MUFAs and five of them will only set you back about 100 kilojoules. Consider stuffing a pitted olive with a small wedge of your favourite cheese and a few chilli slices for an even bigger flavour punch
Unshelled Pistachios
You know the frustration that comes when you can’t manage to bust open one of these—but the fiddly shell is actually part of its snack appeal! As well as the benefits of protein and healthy fat, a small handful will last longer thanks to the time you spend shucking. That gives your body more time to register satisfaction, making it less likely you’ll polish off an entire bowl.
Cottage Cheese with Cinnamon
You might remember it as the somewhat bland diet food go-to from the ’90s, but we promise this version is super-tasty—not to mention loaded with protein (up to 28g in one cup) and full of bone-building calcium. Sweeten your next bowl with a serious sprinkling of the blood sugarstabiliser cinnamon and you’ve got yourself a perfect afternoon hunger crusher. Delicious
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