As you may know, reducing calorie intake is the key to losing body fat. You hear the word calories thrown around quite often in the nutrition and fitness industry, and it’s often feared when it’s misunderstood.
Calories are essentially king when it comes to fat loss, but food quality is also key to optimal health and everyday bodily function, as well as daily physical activity and looking after your mental health.
Many factors go into a fat loss journey, so choosing an approach that works for you personally and is also sustainable is crucial to your fat loss success!
Having said that, dieting is no easy feat, and there are plenty of challenges we are all faced with at one point or another. One of the most common challenges we are faced with is snacking habits.
Reducing snacking and cutting out your favorite snacks and treats can be really tough, but it’s often the source of extra calories if it’s not controlled and in check.
But is there a way you can stick to your fat loss plan while also including snacks in your diet?
Of course! There is always a way to incorporate your favorite snacks and additional low-calorie snacks that are surprisingly filling, nutritious, and tasty!
Here, we have a selection of our favorite low-calorie snack ideas for you to try! But first, you may be wondering what macros are and why they are important. Let’s take a look!
What Are Macros?
'Macros' is another buzzword you often hear in the industry, similar to calories.
The difference here is that while calories (energy) come from the food you eat, macros, or “macronutrients”, is essentially the composition of this food.
There are three main macronutrients you would have heard of:
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fat
Each of these macronutrients provides important nutrients for daily function and overall health.
Not only are they crucial for maintaining lean muscle, burning fat, and staying healthy, but they also play a huge role in supporting energy, mood, appetite, and overall fitness and performance.
Carbohydrates and fat both supply energy in the form of sugar and fatty acids. While carbohydrates are your body's preferred fuel source, providing quick energy for exercise and movement, fats provide you with a slower release of energy while producing your hormones and helping nutrient absorption.
Protein is the builder nutrient, which works around the clock actively maintaining, repairing, and creating almost all cells in the body, including muscle cells.
Macronutrient Guidelines
There are general nutrient recommendations for all populations to follow as a guideline to ensure you’re getting enough of each macronutrient or to ensure you’re not consuming too much of one.
As a general rule of thumb, if someone were to track macros, they would ideally calculate their protein intake first, which would be largely based on their activity level and weight.
- Sedentary: 0.8g per kg bodyweight
- Regular physical activity: 1.0-1.2g per kg bodyweight
- Endurance athlete: 1.2-1.4g per kg bodyweight
- Strength/speed/power athlete: 1.2-2.0g per kg bodyweight
For example, an 80kg endurance athlete would need 96-112g of protein per day.
Once your protein is set, the only thing left to do is ensure you’re consuming around 1g of fat per kg of bodyweight (or 20-35% of our total calorie intake) to support energy needs and everyday bodily function, and the remainder of your calorie intake would come from carbohydrates to support physical energy demands.
While it’s not essential to track macronutrients, it can be useful to familiarize yourself with the composition of the food you’re consuming as this would be very beneficial to a diet plan.
For example, if you ensure you’re consuming enough protein while on a calorie-restricted diet, this will massively help fat loss by keeping you fuller for longer, maintaining your muscle mass, and supporting lean muscle gains.
Now, let’s look at some low-calorie, macro-friendly snack ideas that anyone can incorporate into their diet!
15 Low-Calorie Snack ideas
1) Rice cakesRice cakes are one of the best “volume” foods—something that takes up a lot of volume in the stomach for minimal calories. Rice cakes are a great snack as you can play around with different toppings and flavors to keep it interesting! Around 60kcal per rice cake.
2) PopcornPopcorn is another example of a volume food—plenty of flavor for little calories and a great option for a sweet treat. Around 140-150kcal per cup.
3) Pickled vegetables Being almost calorie-free, pickled vegetables such as pickles, carrots, onions, etc. are great options for some strong flavor and a good hit of nutrition.
4) Kale chips It’s very easy to make your own kale chips at home instead of store-bought options, but also a great alternative to potato chips!
5) EdamameA quick, convenient, high-protein snack! Sprinkle some salt for extra flavor.
6) Raw veggie snacks and dipRed bell pepper and guacamole, carrot sticks and hummus, etc. Very easy and tasty snack, high in protein and nutrients!
7) AlmondsAll nuts are calorie dense if portions are not controlled. However, a few almonds are a very satisfying snack, particularly when added to yogurt and fruit for a boost of healthy protein and fat.
8) Sugar-free jelloWhile not extremely filling, this calorie-free sweet treat may help kick cravings to the curb and satisfy a sweet tooth!
9) Protein ice creamFind certain companies manufacturing delicious ice cream that’s high protein and low calories to help satisfy sweet tooth cravings in an instant.
10) Dark chocolateDark chocolate can be the perfect alternative to milk chocolate. While the calories aren’t much different, it’s richer and more nutritious, which means you would naturally eat less for more nutritional value.
11) Yogurt and fruitA simple, easy go-to if you want a high protein, high fiber snack.
12) Hard-boiled eggsEggs go with many other flavors and are a good source of protein and fat. A great option to prepare in advance and keep in the fridge! Remove the yolk for even lower calories.
13) Jerky There are lots of lean, grass-fed options of jerky available, which are high-protein and filling.
14) Chia puddingChia seeds are high fat, high protein, and packed with fiber. Chia pudding makes for a healthy, nutritious dessert.
15) String cheese and pepperoniLow-fat string cheese and pepperoni is a great option to settle a savory craving. The mixture of healthy protein and fats will provide you will a hit of nutrients, keeping you fuller for longer.
