Healthy Snack Ideas for Work, Kids, and Weight Loss

If you get too hungry between meals, that can deplete your willpower and make you consume more calories overall. The trick to snacking for health? Choose nutrient-rich foods and filling combos of protein and fiber, like these popular picks from top dietitians and weight-loss bloggers.

You could pay the more than 100 percent markup some companies charge for 100-cal snack packs—or simply keep these delish, nutritionist-approved treats on hand.

Baked sweet potato fries

This vitamin A-rich snack is a healthy-kid favorite, but there’s no reason you can’t also enjoy this Parenting recipe that swaps bad carbs for good ones.

Sliced tomato with a sprinkle of feta and olive oil

Lunch left something to be desired? This savory dish will make your taste buds happy.

Krispy kale chips

This unbelievable source of vitamins K, A, and C may become your new go-to late-afternoon snack.

Popcorn with a kick

A favorite, family-friendly snack for dietitian and Real Mom Nutrition blogger Sally Kuzemchak is popcorn—a surprising source of fiber and antioxidants.

Homemade kettle corn

DIY kettle corn can eliminate some of the artificial chemicals from processed versions.

Vitamuffin vitatop

Pop this vitamin-rich fudgy treat before a morning meeting and that Danish won’t look so damn good.

Health nachos

Though she admits that she’s not a big snacker—“I really like to be hungry for meals”—Cara Eisenpress of Big Girls Small Kitchen says her favorite snack is healthier nachos.

Starbucks tall skinny latte

Score your caffeine fix along with a hunger-crushing 10-gram shot of protein and about a third of your daily calcium needs.

Brown rice bonanza

Feedmeimcranky’s Annabel Adams makes a big batch of brown rice on the weekends, and for weekday snacks heats up a small bowl and tops it with salsa, hummus, or Trader Joe’s ‘Cowboy Caviar,’ a mix of black beans, peppers, and roasted corn.

Banana

Naturally prepackaged goodness you can take anywhere, with the added benefit of cramp-preventing potassium.

Low-carb turkey wrap

Make a snack out of a turkey wrap, which is one of Dr. Oz’s top snacks—and only 75 calories.

1/2 c edamame (measured shelled)

Eating this protein-packed pick-me-up out of the shell will help make the healthy snack last longer.

Cinnamon-spiced baked apples

These are a quick, healthy snack favorite of Diane Carbonell, founder of the Fit to the Finish blog. Core a crisp apple (such as Granny Smith or Fuji) and put the wedges in a microwave-safe bowl.

Buffalo Chicken Celery Boats

Like a whole plate of buffalo wings, in one convenient bite!

Chocolate-drizzled fruit kebobs

Health magazine skewers 1 strawberry, 2 blueberries, 1 piece each kiwi, cantaloupe, pineapple, and then drizzling with 1 teaspoon Hershey’s chocolate syrup for a filling, fruit dessert that quenches a chocolate craving too.

Pickle Roll-Ups

Pack your kids this for lunch and you’ll be the most popular mom in school.

Chocolate-dunked strawberries

Try Prevention’s easy way to sweeten up strawberries: Drip 10 medium strawberries into 1 fat-free pudding cup for a light and healthy filler. Since this combo is a proven aphrodisiac, it’s best eaten with your significant other.

Tuna Salad Pickle Boats

This is the absolute cutest way to eat tuna salad.

Goat cheese bruschetta

Try this Real Simple treat: Top 5 halved cherry tomatoes with 2 tablespoons fresh goat cheese, then sprinkle with chopped herbs (chives, basil, or parsley) that you can grow right in your home garden.

Bell Pepper Nachos

You won’t miss the chips in these low-carb veggie nachos.

Gouda-topped apple slices

Thinly slice 1 ounce of smoked Gouda cheese on honey crisp apple slices for an ideal balance of protein, carbs, and fat, recommends Christine Avanti, chef, nutritionist, and author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food For a different flavor (and fewer calories), swap out the Gouda for a naturally lighter option.

Sweetish nuts

Give boring nuts (the best disease fighter in your pantry) a healthy boost with Sweetish Nuts from nutritionist Brooke Alpert, which are sugar-free but still manage a natural sweetness from the spices.

Tasty tapas

Stuff mini whole wheat pitas (about 2 inches in diameter) with different tastes, such as salsa; cashew butter; low-fat cheese; or hummus with cucumber and tomato, recommends Samantha Heller, RD, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Cancer Care Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Connecticut.

Hummus among us

When Rebecca Regnier of doesthisblogmakeuslookfat is hankering for something savory, she goes for a mini pepper sliced with a little hummus. It’s especially good as a bedtime snack, since chickpeas help you sleep.

Raspberry banana bites

Satisfy a sweet tooth with Health magazine’s treat: top three, 1-inch banana slices with ¼ teaspoon Nutella and 1 raspberry. That combo also makes a deliciously healthy fruit smoothie.

Fruit tacos

From registered dietitian Cynthia Sass’s new book S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim: Fold whole corn tortillas with organic strawberries (or any of the healthiest fruits for your body), edamame, ripe avocado, cilantro, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Nutty watermelon fruit cup

This Real Simple salad refreshes: Toss 2 cups of watermelon cubes with 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice and ½ teaspoon grated lime zest, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons chopped unsalted roasted pistachios.

Pumpkin spice yogurt

Perk up your go-to yogurt with this version from Greatist: Combine 1/2 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree (a low-fat way to boost fiber and flavor).

Yogurt-dunked berries

Blogger Caffeinated Chronicles of a Supermom uses a toothpick to dunk individual blueberries one at a time into a container of Greek yogurt; a second toothpick helps push the berry off onto a baking sheet.

Avocado rice cakes

Avocados also make for a great rice cake topper, says greatist.com. Top an unsalted brown rice cake with 1/4 of an avocado, mashed, then sprinkle with black pepper and paprika.

Tempeh-topped avocado

Always have avocado around to add a healthful fat for a filling snack (and to get gorgeous hair, face, and nails), recommends Annabel Adams from feedmeimcranky.com.

Chia pudding

Chia seeds, a great source of omega-3s and fiber, are in this tasty tapioca-like pudding from NYC nutritionist Brooke Alpert’s new book The Sugar Detox. Place 2 and 1/2 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk, 1/2 cup chia seeds, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a bowl.

Banana oatmeal walnut cookies

Gina Homolka, of skinnytaste.com, makes three-ingredient “guiltless healthy cookies” that are a great source of heart-healthy whole grains, good fats, and potassium. Combine 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed, 1 cup uncooked quick oats in a bowl, then fold in ¼ cup crushed walnuts. Place tablespoon-sized scoops on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Bagel with ricotta and strawberries

Sink your teeth into Real Simple’s tasty take on the bagel: Spread half of a small toasted whole grain “flat” bagel with 2 tablespoons fresh ricotta, then top with 1/3 cup sliced strawberries and drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar.

Fruity waffle

Try Self magazine’s healthy bite: top a whole grain waffle with 1 teaspoon low-fat cream cheese and ¼ cup blueberries.

Cinnamon-nut oatmeal

Oatmeal, with is whole grains, fiber, and protein, is a perfect all-day snack.

Anytime edamame

From theKitchn: A half-cup of boiled or steamed shelled young soybeans are rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants—and are only 100 calories.

Ginger-tossed cole slaw

For her favorite snack, Keri Glassman MS, RD, author of The New You and Improved Diet, tosses pre-sliced cabbage and carrots with a ginger dressing and wraps the salad in a sheet of seaweed (nori).

Tuna seaweed wrap

Nutritionist Rachel Beller loves nori too, telling Glamour that it’s “chock-full of folate, iron, calcium and potassium.”