4 healthy and quick snacks that are NOT WEIGHTY!

A few snacks between meals will not only not make you fat, but if they are included in a proper eating plan they will help you reach your goals without starving yourself.

The fixed meal schedule is not always adopted by every person. Even if your work schedule includes a meal break at a fixed time, most people still tend to have small snacks between meals.

Why are snacks between meals important?

Snacks between main meals should contain whole foods that provide a significant supply of nutrients to the body. In addition, if you want to look after your figure you need to be careful about the choices you make and not opt for sweets or other salty commercial snacks. It is preferable to choose fruit, vegetables, plain yoghurts or any combination of whole and unprocessed foods.

What snacks could I include in my meal plan?

1. Fruit

Choose a fruit snack every day. Not only do they help you not to starve yourself, they are also low in calories. Not to mention the intake of vitamins and minerals from fruit is very beneficial for your body's health. You can have any fruit you like, but don't overdo it. Some fruits may contain more calories, and a larger portion will already become a meal in itself, not just a snack. Check out the recommended weight in the DWP Fitness app. There you have snack ideas along with the recommended amount specifically for you after entering your data into the app.

2. Dairy products

Dairy lovers can have snacks made up of these beneficial and low-calorie products. Choose snacks that provide calcium and fibre, two nutrients that people don't eat enough of. Yoghurt with fruit provides calcium and fibre, plus protein and gut-healthy probiotics.

You can choose a plain yoghurt or a Greek yoghurt which contains more protein and will give you a greater sense of satiety. If you opt for a plain yoghurt, you can combine it with fruit, nuts, muesli, honey depending on your taste. Also in this category you can choose a cottage or quark cheese, found in supermarkets. Again pay attention to the weight consumed and the amount of fat written on the product packaging. It is recommended that products consumed do not exceed the maximum amount of 3% fat.

3. Nuts and oilseeds

Another healthy snack full of good fatty acids for the body are nuts and oilseeds. Once every two or three days you can also choose fatty snacks. A small handful of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower) and nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, Romanian walnuts) mixed with raisins or dates can satisfy your sweet tooth, but also provide healthy omega-3 fats that are essential for your heart and brain. These include raw peanuts, raw cashews, raw walnuts, sunflower seed kernels or raw pumpkin seeds. In other words, these products do not need to be thermally prepared: baked or roasted. Why? Because they are high in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, but like all fats they should not be cooked, otherwise we get the same effects as from eating fried food. Again, be careful with the quantity, nuts are calorie dense and you can easily exceed the recommended amount. In this case use the DWP Fitness app and weigh exactly the gram of nuts you want to consume to make sure you don't exceed the recommended calories.

4. Hummus with raw vegetables

Keep chickpeas in the pantry. With a meaty texture and nutty flavor, chickpeas come packed with lots of savory fiber and a little protein perfect when you want to lose weight. 1/2 cup of chickpeas has about 100 calories, 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. To know exactly how much to consume based on your goal check out the DWP Fitness app and your personalized plan.

A serving of chickpea hummus paired with vegetables quells your hunger and helps you lose weight. Make chickpea paste at home using canned chickpeas (for quickness) and blend them in a food processor with olive oil, sesame/tahini paste (optional, but it will become creamier and more aromatic), a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice. Keep it in the fridge or put it in a jar to have at work. It's a perfect snack and goes great with raw vegetables (carrots, peppers, cucumber, celeriac, red beetroot, celeriac).

A snack between meals reduces hunger pangs so you don't eat too much for lunch or dinner. Snacking can also help you get all the nutrients you need.

On the other hand, nibbling throughout the day, especially on foods with low nutritional value, can lead to overeating. So these healthy snacks can help you lose weight, but they need to be integrated into your personalized eating plan if you are to reach your goals.

This is where the DWP Fitness app can help. You just enter your details and the app will display the recipes recommended for you.

If you want to find out more tips you can also read how to lose weight FASTER.