Healthy Snacks That Taste Good and Make Sugar Cravings Go Away

Sometimes we just want something that tastes grate and satisfies our cravings. Losing weight can be a long journey when you are seriously overweight.

If you are only slightly overweight, toughing it out and resisting cravings for two or three weeks, or even a month can be done. But when you have 50, 70 or even 100 pounds to take off, satisfying a craving can mean the difference between sticking with your goals, or completely going off the path to your goals.

So for those of you who have cravings for certain foods and want healthier alternatives that truly satisfy, the choices that follow are what work for me.

When I want chips or cheese doodles, celery seems to be a realistic and healthier alternative. It gives me the crunch I want and I can get lots of chewing while I kick back and watch a movie. Sometimes you just want to munch and munch. By switching celery for chips I reduce the fat by a great deal. I use a variety of dips with celery:

• Hummus
• Salsa Con Queso
• Cream Cheese
• Greek Yogurt
• Peanut Butter

When I do this, I do not go for the fat free dips. Why? Because usually what I am craving is carbs and fat when I want chips. I also want a comfort food that I can graze on while I watch a movie or visit with friends.

The choices listed above are better because they are fairly low in carbs, have healthy fats, and contain spices that rev up the metabolism. All of the dip choices contain protein, which helps to regulate metabolism and blood sugar. Any favorite vegetable will do here. Carrots, cucumbers, and any other vegetable you can cut up and use as a dipping tool. The key here is to get your vegies and have an alternative that is an improvement over the chips.

The most unhealthy choices in the list above are the cream cheese and the salsa con queso. When I do the con queso, I usually mix in some regular salsa to lower the fat content and get the benefits of the vegetables in the regular salsa. This way I still get some of the cheesy flavor I want but not all the fat.

The hummus is a great source of fiber and protein. It also has slower digesting carbs from the garbanzo beans and healthy oils. I try to make my own, but sometimes I buy it.

Greek yogurt can be mixed with a variety of ingredients such as green onions, bacon bits, olive oil, and even French onion soup akes for a zesty dip that is low in fat and high in protein.

Peanut butter helps to stabilize blood sugar, provides healthy fats, and is a good source of protein. When I use peanut butter or cream cheese, instead of packing the hollow in the stalk of celery, I just sort of line the hollow. That way I get the flavor in every bite, but do not use very much, so my fat count stays lower.

Hummus deserves a place of its own here because it is so versitle. It comes in a variety of flavors. One of my favorites is the pine nut. Hummus can be used with crackers and almost any type of vegetable. I regularly dip carrots, cucumbers, celery, and even lettuce in hummus. Whole grain crackers also go well with hummus.

When I am craving a sandwich, I do not want a dry sandwich that sticks to the roof of my mouth. To me that just doesn't taste good. I have tried the fat free dressings and reduced fat mayo, but I simply do not like them, and it is beyond me how anyone can be satisfied with a sandwich with only one tablespoon of dressing. That amount is so small that you can not even cover the bread with it.

So when I am craving a sandwich, this is what I do to keep the fat count down:

Mix equal parts hamburger or sweet relish, mustard, and mayo. I usually mix up enough to make a cup of this dressing and keep it in the frig.

Presto! Because the mustard and relish have no fat, you just took a two-thirds of the fat and calories that you would normally have from your sandwich spread if you made it with the amount of mayo you really want.

This might not be perfect as far as your fat consumption goes, but for long-term living, it really helped me. Now I can have that sandwich I really want once in a while without feeling guilty.

A more healthy alternative is what this is.

When I want ice cream, but do not want to go off my healthy eating plan, I have one of two things:

• Cottage cheese and fruit
• Plain Greek Yogurt with peanuts and fruit

Usually when these cravings hit I am craving calcium and protein. Both of these are satisfying sources.

When you get home from work and are starving and even feeling shaky, your body needs good fuel quickly. The following dishes are easy to make and can be kept on hand in the refrigerator for when you need something quickly.

Chicken Salad

Chicken salad made with peas, onions, and pickles provides a quick source of both protein and slow-digesting carbs. I use regular mayo, but add a couple tablespoons of pickle juice to make it go farther and reduce the amount of fat.

Apple Salad

Apples help level off your blood sugar. Often when you are getting that shaky feeling your blood sugar may be dropping. Eating apples helps to stabilize your system and make that shaky feeling go away. I use either ham or chicken and sliced almonds in the apple salad to add some protein to this dish.

Tuna Salad

When making this protein-packed dish, I make sure I drain it very well. Then I add either Greek yogurt or mayo and a little pickle juice. Onions and pickles chopped medium coarse round it out and the flavors marinate well. Once again, when you are super hungry and gotta eat now, you probably are starving for protein.

All three of these dishes can be served by stuffing celery or peppers with them, and eaten on whole grain crackers. I often just eat a half cup of one of the to get something in my stomach quickly.

Baked Apples taste good on a cold day. You get good nutrition, but also something sweet and warm.

But do you know that apples are known to stabilize blood sugar and aide in healthy digestion? Because they work so well at evening out all the dips and peaks, the cravings we have for sugar and simple carbs, like cookies and chocolate, seem to fade away with regular consumption of apples. At least that has been this writer's experience.

Easy Baked Apple Recipe

• Just hollow out the apples, sprinkle with cinnamon, and add a little water to the baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
• After removing the apples from the oven sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese into the hollows and allow it to melt a little. Add a touch of caramel sauce to taste.
• Note: The outside of the apples will shrivel a little as they cool. You can core and slice the apples and put them in a baking dish to avoid this. I am usually in too much of a hurry to do that, though.