If you are especially concerned about the amount of calories you are consuming everyday there are low calorie choices that can take the stress out of finding a fitting snack. Though many of these will not actually replace a well cooked meal they are the perfect treat when no other options are available or when you simply do not have the time to invest in something more substantial. Remember that even though many of these are low calorie snacks do not mistake them for healthy foods which will contain more or actual nutrients.

Tasty Treats

The 100 Calorie Little Debbie marshmallow treat is almost identical to the well known Rice Krispie Treat except that it is cheaper. It is a bit sweeter and perhaps a bit too gummy however, if you are on a budget then it is the perfect treat. This will give you a instant boost when you are on the go, however it may not necessarily give you a full feeling.

You can try Jello’s collection of 100 calorie puddings which come in many flavours. They are very delicious and are all fat free. The flavours include vanilla/chocolate combo pack, chocolate-vanilla swirl, tapioca and devil’s food. To make it even more flavourful you can add some fat free cool whip. You can find them at most supermarkets and quite often at discount stores.

100 calorie Sierra Mist

If you would like a drink instead of actual food then this 8-ounce can of soda is perfect. It has 100 calories and fairly convenient to take with you. It’s not actually cheaper than the 12 ounce version of the drink but at least you’ll be cutting down on your calorie intake. It’s important that you remember it is soda so try to not to rely too heavily on it as an in between filler.

Klondike Slim-a-Bear

Klondike Slim-a-Bear bar is a great tasting treat. It is coated in chocolate and caramel with delicious vanilla in the middle. The ice cream is slow-melting which means you’ll have a lot of time to enjoy this snack without worrying that it will completely melt before you are finished. The low calorie ice cream filling coupled with its small size guarantees you won’t be consuming too many calories. However, try not to eat more than one bar which will dampen any attempt at reducing your caloric intake.

Healthier Snacks

Mott’s Original Apple Sauce

This is a healthier snack that tastes fantastic. It won’t give you the same amount of fibre but it is still considered a full serving of apple.

Earthbound Farm Organic Mini Peeled Carrots with Ranch Dip

This is fundamentally a serving of vegetables and a bit of dip.

Stonyfield Farm Light yogurt

These are high in protein and fiber, and will provide you with 1/4 of your calcium needs.

FrozFruit Gourmet Frozen Fruit Bar

Is a great snack that is high in Vitamin A and C.

Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Cheddar Cheese Sticks

Though it has slightly high fat content it is rich in protein calcium and other nutrients.

Please visit these links for more information on low calorie snacks: 100 Calorie Snacks and: Low Calorie Snacks.

It’s much easier to practice a low-fat diet if you have some recipes to start with. Following are 3 recipes, one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Use these as a sort of springboard to create your own low-fat meals.

1. Low-Fat Breakfast Granola
This makes about 4 generous servings of granola. To complete your low-fat breakfast, try eating this granola over fat-free, plain yogurt. You can top it with fresh fruit like peaches, strawberries or blueberries.

Ingredients:
-2 1/4 cups rolled oats
-1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
-2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
-2 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice
-2 teaspoons safflower oil
-1/4 cup raisins, dates, or a combination

Directions:
Combine all the dry ingredients except the raisins or dates (oats, almonds, salt, and cinnamon) in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients (maple syrup, apple juice, and oil). Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and stir thoroughly. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for half an hour.

2. Greek Salad Wrap
This single-serving lunch can be doubled, tripled, or whatever you need for your lunch. This can also be used to stuff a whole wheat pita pocket.

Ingredients:
-1 whole wheat tortilla
-1 cup torn green or red leaf lettuce
-1/4 cup shredded carrots
-2 tablespoons diced fresh tomatoes
-1 tablespoon minced onion
-1 tablespoon chopped black olives (optional)
-3-6 bell pepper strips, any color
-1 tablespoon crumbled, low-fat feta cheese
-low-fat Greek salad dressing to taste

Directions:
In a bowl, place the lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, black olives, and onion. Toss with a tablespoon or two of your favorite Greek dressing, or simply use olive oil and vinegar. Spread the mixture across the center of the tortilla. Top with feta bell pepper strips. Roll up by bringing up and overlapping both sides over the center.

3. Bean and Turkey Chili
Whether you like your chili served over pasta, rice, topped with crackers, or plain, this low-fat chili recipe is versatile enough for any option. This serves 4 to 6 people.

Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 yellow onion, chopped
-1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
-1/2 pound lean ground turkey
-2 cups diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
-2 cups prepared salsa
-1 15-ounce can black beans
-1 15-ounce can pinto beans
-1 teaspoon chili powder
-1 teaspoon cumin
-shredded, low-fat cheese (such as 2% milk sharp cheddar)

Directions:
Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they are soft. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring and breaking up the turkey, for about 8 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese. Pour into a crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or simmer on the stovetop for 1 to 2 hours. Serve topped with cheese if desired.

We all want to indulge in tasty snacks now and then; but if you’re avoiding all those typical snacks – chips, milkshakes, candy, cookies, cakes, and so forth – where do you turn? Are there still sweet and delicious foods that are healthy but still qualify as treats?

The answer lies, in part, in the utilization of substitutes. Fried and/or sugary foods may be off-limit, but you can substitute moderate amounts of healthy fats and oven-baking for the fried foods, and natural sugars and sweeteners instead of white sugar. Here are some suggestions.

1. Break Out the Blender

Craving milkshakes and ice cream is common among those trying to watch their weight. Your blender can help you overcome these cravings – smoothies, slushies, and other cold treats can help beat the ice cream craving. Start with 10 ice cubes or so, and blend at high speed with one of these combinations of ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup vanilla almond milk
* 1 cup lemonade or fruit juice of your choice
* 1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup unsweetened, natural orange juice, 1/4 teaspoon stevia extract (or to taste)
* Juice of 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 grapefruit; 1/2 teaspoon stevia extract (or to taste)

Experiment!

2. Cookies

A really good, fat-free, low-calorie cookie is hard to come by, but meringue cookies can help get you there. Meringues are easy to make – beat 3 egg whites until frothy; add a generous pinch of salt, and beat until stiff; then gradually add 1/3 cup of evaporated cane juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Dollop the mixture onto parchment paper-covered cookie trays and place in a 350-degree oven; turn oven off and leave 8 hours or overnight.

3. Oven-baked “Fries”

The crunchy saltiness of French fries and potato chips is almost irresistible. Instead of fried potatoes, why not try oven-baking them? Simply cut peeled potatoes into fry-sized strips or sticks and toss them in a little oil, about 1 teaspoon per potato (make sure it’s a healthy oil such as safflower or olive). Stir in seasonings of your choice (such as salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc.) and bake at 425 for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Banana Muffins

Craving cake or rich banana bread? Try these muffins for a healthier alternative.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together into a bowl:
* 1 cup of white whole wheat flour (or 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup white)
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 (heaping) teaspoon salt

In another bowl, whisk together:
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons safflower oil
* 2 tablespoons plain, low-fat yogurt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice

Stir in:
* 2 small bananas, mashed
* 2 tablespoons low-fat mini chocolate chips (optional)

Combine all the ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.

So you are committed to a low-fat diet, but your friends or family want you to go out to eat with them. You may or may not have a say in where you go out to eat, which means you won’t know which menu selections are low-fat and which ones aren’t. So does this mean you can’t go out to eat? Or are you doomed to order only salads with no dressing when you go out?

You can still go out to eat and keep your low-fat diet if you know what to watch for. Here are some tips on navigating a restaurant menu without breaking your low-fat diet commitment.

1. Avoid fried foods. Duh, right? Not necessarily – a restaurant doesn’t always use language that says “deep fat fried chicken.” It may use words like “sautéed,” “pan-fried,” “tempura” or “cooked in vegetable oil.” As a general rule, anything breaded is going to be deep-fat fried, and anything involving a pan, heat, and food is fried! Look for “oven roasted,” “steamed,” “grilled,” or “baked” in the description.

2. Creamy items should be avoided. Rich cream sauces like Alfredo are very high-fat. So are creamy dips often served with appetizers. Cream-based soups like New England clam chowder are no-nos as well. 

3. Steer clear of cheesy dishes. Cheese and broccoli soup, cheese burritos, and fondues are best avoided.

So what should you eat? Here are some ideas on what to choose on the menu.

1. Fajitas are often a low-fat choice. The toppings are usually served separately so you can opt out of the cheese and sour cream, and just wrap up the flavorful meat and vegetables. If there is guacamole, go ahead and have a little – it’s made from avocados, which have healthy fats. 

2. Grilled foods are often a healthy choice. Grilled vegetables, fish, and meats tend to be lower in fat.

3. Salads are often a low-fat dieter’s best friend, but be sure to ask for the dressing on the side. Some people suggest dipping each forkful lightly into the dressing rather than dousing the whole salad and tossing. Don’t choose salads with a lot of high-fat additions, such as egg, cheese, and bacon.

Last but not least, don’t be afraid to ask your server. Don’t send him or her back to the kitchen with a question about each dish; narrow down your choices to a few that look hopeful (such as the roasted chicken breast or baked fish) and ask about them. Or you can simply ask your server for a list of the dishes lowest in fat.

Recipes are a good way to get started on a low-fat diet. It helps, though, to have some guiding principles so that you can create your own recipes, and so that you have a guide when you are at a party or at a restaurant. If you want to embrace a low-fat diet, that will include your meals and snacks. So here are some guidelines for incorporating low-fat foods into your everyday foods.

1. Meats

Lean meats are vital to a low-fat diet. When you plan your meals, think fish, poultry, and lean beef. Another consideration in a low-fat diet is to let meat play a minor role. In other words, the meal does not need to revolve around the meat. It can be served in relatively small portions as long as the meal is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

2. Dairy

When most of us think of animal fats, we think of fatty beef burgers and steaks. But dairy products are a source of saturated animal fats that can easily be overlooked in a low-fat diet. Incorporate low-fat or fat-free dairy products into your everyday foods. Low-fat cheeses, such as cottage cheese and low-fat cheddar, can replace full-fat or processed cheese. Fat-free milk and yogurt are creamy and flavorful, and can easily replace their full-fat or low-fat versions.

Speaking of dairy, there are some simple substitutions you can employ to lower your daily fat intake. For example, strained, fat-free yogurt can substitute for full-fat sour cream in most recipes and as a topping. Plain, fat-free yogurt that is not strained can substitute for buttermilk, heavy cream, and other high-fat dairy products in recipes.

Eggs are considered dairy products, and are one of the more controversial sources of animal fats. If you are in the eggs-are-bad camp, try some substitutions. One tablespoon of milled flax seeds (flax meal) mixed with three tablespoons of water can substitute for one egg in a recipe. Egg white, which is the lower-fat portion of the egg, can be used in omelets and scrambles. Scrambled tofu is another low-fat egg replacement.

3. Oils

Oils are a fixture in most kitchens. But they are pure fat, so how do they fit into everyday, low-fat foods? Interestingly, some studies have shown that consuming healthy fats (in moderation) can actually enhance weight loss! Whether weight loss is one of your goals in eating low-fat foods or not, incorporating healthy fats into your diet is probably a good idea.

As an overall guideline, substitute good fats for bad ones wherever you can. For instance, use olive oil for sautéing and safflower oil for baking (rather than vegetable oil, shortening, or butter). Flax meal can be used to substitute for solid or liquid fats in many recipes. Try substituting three tablespoons of flax meal for every tablespoon of fat called for in a recipe.

4. Snack foods

Typical snack foods tend to be fatty, and can often be the low-fat dieter’s downfall. Yet snacks may, in fact, be a key component to a healthy diet – they have been shown to stabilize blood sugar, prevent overeating at meals, and help incorporate healthy nutrients that may be missed at meals.

So you’ll probably want to get on the snack bandwagon, but with low-fat options. Try rolled deli turkey and veggie sticks, or low-fat granola (homemade or low-fat store bought). Baked corn chips and salsa are a low-fat option as well. Low-fat cream cheese on a whole-wheat bagel satisfies hunger without the fat.