Healthy Snacks for Longevity & Weight Loss: What to Eat Between Meals (and What to Avoid)

Smart Health Key 8/12 – Snack on Fruit and a Few Nuts

It's 3:30 in the afternoon...

Lunch feels like a distant memory, your energy is fading, and suddenly the cookies in the kitchen are calling your name.

Or maybe you're making dinner and find yourself eating handful after handful of crisps, crackers or cheese without even realising it.

Or perhaps you settle down on the couch after a long day, switch on the TV, and somehow the family-size packet of chips has mysteriously disappeared before the first ad break.

If any of those moments sound familiar, you're not alone.

Truth is, healthy snacks aren't the problem - mindless snacking is.

Why snacking gets us into trouble

One of the biggest contributors to weight gain isn't necessarily what we eat at meals. It's everything we eat between meals.

It's funny how the handful of crisps while cooking dinner, the biscuit with your coffee, or the chocolate grabbed while filling up the car somehow feel like they "don't count".

But our bodies disagree! Every bite still counts.

Many people snack simply because they're bored, stressed, emotional, or because food is within arm's reach. Others feel the need to eat every time they walk past the fridge or pantry. Before they know it, they've consumed hundreds of extra kilojoules without ever sitting down for a proper meal. Those extra bites add up surprisingly quickly.

Here's something most people don't realise...

Constant cravings between meals usually aren't caused by a lack of willpower.

More often than not, cravings between meals are a sign that your previous meal wasn't balanced enough to keep you satisfied.

When you eat regular, balanced meals containing quality carbs, lean protein and healthy fat, as well as enough veggies or salad, you're far less likely to spend the afternoon searching for something sweet or salty. Even if you just make a start by adding a tomato to your light lunch, instead of just eating kJ-dense carbs, protein and fat. Once you're in the habit of adding a tomato, you'll progress more easily to other salad or veggies, which are non-dense in kJ but rich in nutrients.

In fact, we've found over many years of working with patients that most unhealthy snacking starts with skipping meals or eating unbalanced meals.

✨That's why the first goal is NOT to eliminate snacks - It's to make sure your meals are doing their job.

When should you have a snack?

Sometimes a snack really is the right choice.

If it's been several hours since your last meal and you're genuinely hungry, a small snack between breakfast and lunch—or between lunch and dinner—can help maintain your energy levels and concentration until your next balanced meal.

The important word here is small. A snack shouldn't become a second lunch.

Its purpose is simply to keep you going until your next meal.

Choose snacks that actually nourish your body

When you do need a snack, think about giving your body something useful instead of simply something tasty.

A chocolate bar and fizzy drink may give you a quick burst of energy, but it usually disappears just as quickly, leaving you reaching for more food not long afterwards.

Instead, choose snacks that provide vitamins, minerals, fibre, healthy carbs (and fat and protein, only when really necessary). Some excellent choices include:

• A fresh fruit, preferably low GI, except for immediately after exercise

• A small handful of unsalted nuts (but always with fruit or dried fruit)

• A few dried fruits with nuts

• A small tub (100 ml) of low-fat fruit yoghurt

• Homemade popcorn - a handful

• Game or ostrich biltong (in moderation)

These foods don't just satisfy hunger, but also provide your body with nutrients that support your heart, brain, muscles, digestive system and overall health.

One of the best snack combinations

If you're hungry between meals, it's hard to beat a piece of fruit and a small handful of nuts. Fruit provides fibre, vitamins, minerals and natural carbohydrates for steady energy.

Nuts contribute healthy unsaturated fats and a bit of protein that help keep you satisfied for longer while supporting heart and brain health. Together they make a snack that keeps blood glucose levels much steadier than sweets, crisps or biscuits, as they're neither high GI nor high in bad fats.

Popcorn deserves more credit

Most people think of popcorn as movie food. In reality, plain popcorn is a whole grain.

When you pop it yourself without loads of butter or oil, it's naturally high in fibre, low in fat, low in sodium, sugar-free and has a low GI.

Try seasoning homemade popcorn with herbs and natural spices instead of butter. If you need to use fat, rather use a little olive or Canola oil. Just remember that portions still matter. One or two handfuls make an excellent snack. A giant movie bucket is another story altogether.

Hosting friends? Make the healthy choice the easy choice.

When guests arrive, it's easy to put out bowls of crisps, dry wors and salty snacks.

Instead, try serving a colourful platter of baby tomatoes, cucumber sticks, mushrooms, celery, peppers, snap peas and baby corn with a dip made from low-fat cottage cheese and a little sweet chilli sauce. Add chopped chives or peppadews for extra flavour.

Not only does it look fresh and inviting, but you'll probably find people enjoy it far more than expected—and you'll be far less tempted to overeat the higher-fat snacks on the table.

Be smart about packaged snacks

Many popular snack foods—including potato crisps and dry wors—contain around 35% fat, most of it saturated fat. Fortunately, there are healthier alternatives.

Instead of potato crisps, choose:

• Homemade popcorn

• Fruit or dried fruit

• Nuts

Instead of fatty processed meats, choose:

• Lean game biltong

• Ostrich biltong

• Lean beef biltong with the visible fat removed

Small swaps like these become surprisingly powerful when you repeat them day after day.

Healthy snacks on the go

Life gets busy, so it helps to plan ahead. Keep healthy snacks within easy reach so you're not relying on whatever's available when hunger strikes.

Some easy options include:

• Fresh fruit - a low GI fruit before exercise helps to sustain evergy

• Dried fruit (remember that two dried fruit halves equal roughly one fresh fruit)

• A fruit bar instead of a chocolate bar

• A handful of nuts

• Nuts mixed with raisins or dried fruit

• A small tub of low-fat fruit yoghurt (try freezing it for a healthier "ice cream")

• Lean game or ostrich biltong

Having these ready makes it much easier to make good choices when you're busy.

The bottom line on healthy snacks

Healthy snacks can absolutely be part of a balanced way of eating.

The goal isn't to snack constantly or to eliminate snacks. It's to make sure you're eating because you're genuinely hungry—not because you're bored, stressed or simply walking past the pantry.

When you do need something between meals, choose foods that nourish your body rather than simply filling the gap until dinner.

A piece of fruit.

A handful of nuts.

Some yoghurt.

Homemade popcorn.

These may seem like small choices, but repeated consistently, they're the kinds of habits that help you manage your weight, improve your health and build a way of eating you can realistically enjoy for life.

🌟 This is just 1 of the 12 Smart Health Keys to long-term health. They're simple principles, yet life-changing when you apply them!

Now take a look at Key 9 (Water And Lower-kJ Beverages) →

Scientific References:

Alinia S, Hels O & Tetens I (2009): The potential association between fruit intake and bodyweight: a review. Obes Rev, 10(6):639 – 647.

Buettner D (2008): The Blue Zones: lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest. The National Geographic Society.

Recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Insitute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition, Physical activity and the Prevention of Cancer. 2007.

Rossouw JE (2015): The diet-heart hypothesis, obesity and diabetes. S Afr J Clin Nutr, 28(1):38-43.

AUTHOR: ELIZABETH (LIESBET) DELPORT - Registered Dietitian, M.Sc. Dietetics.

Liesbet Delport has over 40 years of experience helping over 10,000 people improve their health through practical, evidence-based nutrition.

After struggling with her own weight as a teenager, Liesbet learned that lasting health isn't about willpower or another restrictive diet. Her approach is simple: people aren't failing, the diets are. She helps people build a balanced, delicious way of eating they can actually follow for life.