We talk about breakfast, lunch and dinner, and how eating smaller, healthier meals can help you keep weight off following your weight loss program in East Brunswick, but what about those in-between hours? We can’t always make it from one meal to another without having some sort of snack. The stretch between lunch and dinner is especially tough, as these hours are usually marked with meetings, deadlines, errands and other tasks that require you to be mentally present and energized.
During your OPTIFAST medical weight loss program, snacking is taken care of. Instead of having three large meals you will transition to having multiple small portions throughout the day, each just a few hours apart. When you transition back to a traditional foods diet you can mimic the OPTIFAST diet by sticking with the portion sizes and eating schedule. This involves finding healthy snacks that will keep you satisfied and energized without undoing your weight loss goals.
Nuts are healthy snacks you can turn to after your OPTIFAST program. Tree nuts are nutritionally packed, filling and easy to take on-the-go—three factors that make them ideal snacks as you focus on improving your health.
Ready to go nuts? Here are a few quick facts to consider:
Cashews
Packed with iron and zinc, cashews are also a great source of magnesium. In fact, one ounce of cashews will deliver about ¼ of your daily magnesium requirement.
- One serving is about 18 nuts
- 165 calories per serving
- Total fat is about 13 grams per serving, so be careful during your weight loss program
Brazil Nuts
Before snacking on this nut remember to remove the outer casing. Brazil nuts are high in selenium, which is associated with reduced risk of bone, prostate and breast cancer. One serving of Brazil nuts can give you 100 percent of your daily selenium.
- These nuts are larger, so one serving constitutes just 5 or 6 nuts
- 185 calories per serving
- Fat content for this nut is high, with about 18 grams per serving
Almonds
Among of the most popular tree nuts, almonds are especially high in fiber and vitamin E. One ounce of almonds has about three grams of fiber, which is about 12% of your daily value. Almonds are associated with improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, too.
- One serving of almonds is about 23 nuts
- 170 calories per serving
- One serving of almonds has about 15 grams of fat
Other nuts worth snacking on include pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts. Pistachios are one of the lighter choices, with one serving of 160 calories including about 50 nuts. Macadamia nuts are on the other side of the spectrum, packing about 20 calories per nut and 22 grams of fat per serving. Nuts are high in fat, but it is monounsaturated fat. While you should be careful about how much fat you are consuming, the fat in nuts is not the same type of fat you’ll find in unhealthy snack options like cookies and chips. Don’t make any assumptions when it comes to your weight loss diet. Measure your portions properly and if you have any questions, talk with Dr. Liu.
