Dietitians Swear by These 6 Snacks for Beating Cravings—Here’s Why

Qaisar April 22, 2025 Health

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Sticking to a wholesome meal plan may be difficult, particularly when cravings strike.

A few of the most widespread challenges individuals face in relation to staying on monitor is curbing cravings and resisting snacks, in keeping with Lifenza knowledge.

These hurdles can go away anybody feeling annoyed.

However what in the event you dealt with cravings with dietitian-approved snacks that may make it easier to attain your targets with out feeling disadvantaged?

Enter Lifenza’s dietitians! They’ve made a listing of their very own go-to snacks to maintain you full and energized whereas staying inside your calorie and macro targets.

Whether or not your cravings strike within the night or in the midst of your workday, these expert-recommended snacks could also be precisely what you want.

What Do Cravings Actually Imply?

Cravings aren’t nearly willpower. They’re usually alerts out of your physique, mind, or your feelings—like craving sweets if you’re feeling low or reaching for salty snacks if you’re dehydrated.

The urge to seize a pint of ice cream or bag of chips can come up from every kind of triggers, and realizing what they imply will help you resolve learn how to reply.

When you usually crave snacks at night time …

Late-night cravings? They may really be tied to your physique’s pure circadian rhythm—the inner clock that controls your starvation and fullness hormones (1).

Our metabolism slows down because the day goes on, however research present that starvation tends to spike at night time. It’s regarded as the physique’s method of storing vitality for the in a single day quick (1).

So, whereas these nighttime snack assaults earlier than mattress aren’t nice for weight administration, they could simply be a pure a part of how we’re wired.

That stated, in case your circadian rhythm will get disrupted, these cravings can go into overdrive. Stress, lack of sleep, and inconsistent consuming habits could make you attain for sugary, high-calorie meals (2, 3, 4).

Right here’s what you are able to do to assist lower nighttime cravings:

Eat persistently: Except you might be training intermittent fasting, goal to eat each 3 to 4 hours inside a 12-hour window to maintain your vitality regular and help your well being (5).
Handle stress: Attempt deep respiratory, yoga, or train throughout the day that can assist you loosen up.
Enhance sleep high quality: Intention for 7–8 hours of sleep and create a relaxing bedtime routine to help relaxation.

When you usually really feel hungry at midnight…

Like night cravings, waking up with cravings at midnight could possibly be an indication that your circadian rhythm is out of sync (1). This could occur in the event you’re underneath an excessive amount of stress or not sleeping effectively.

It might additionally merely imply you’re not consuming sufficient energy or vitamins throughout the day. Randomly skipping meals or following a restrictive weight-reduction plan would possibly go away your physique too hungry to get by way of the night time.

Listed here are some ideas that can assist you cease midnight snacking:

Observe your energy: Use instruments like Lifenza to trace what you eat. This will help you be sure you’re assembly your calorie wants—which can be extra vital than you suppose.
Eat balanced meals: Embody protein, wholesome fat, and fiber in your meals and snacks that can assist you keep full longer (6, 7, 8).
Attempt to not eat too near bedtime: If attainable, cease consuming about 2–3 hours earlier than bedtime to provide your digestive system time to course of the meals (5).

When you usually get up hungry in the midst of the night time, it might sign an underlying problem. Seek the advice of a healthcare skilled to deal with any potential well being issues.

When you usually crave salty snacks…

Do you usually crave salty snacks like chips, pretzels, or cheese puffs? It’d imply you’re consuming an excessive amount of sodium—or, typically, not sufficient (9).

Sodium, a key electrolyte in salt, is vital for issues like fluid stability, nerve operate, and muscle contractions (9).

Whereas we want some sodium in our weight-reduction plan, consuming an excessive amount of of it will probably really improve your longing for it. Your physique will get used to the upper sodium ranges, which can have an effect on your mind’s reward system and make salty meals appear much more interesting (10).

Over time, you would possibly discover that you just want extra salt to attain the identical stage of satisfaction out of your meals (10).

However, in the event you’re ingesting an excessive amount of water or dropping a number of fluids (hey, sweaty exercises!), your sodium ranges can drop too low. This could disrupt your physique’s features.

When that occurs, your physique steps in and makes you crave salt to get issues again on monitor (9).

The important thing to conserving these salty cravings in examine? Sustaining a wholesome sodium stability. Listed here are some ideas that can assist you out:

Keep hydrated: Drink loads of water, however keep away from extreme consumption to stop diluting your physique’s sodium ranges. It might assist to calculate how a lot water you want day by day (11).
Observe sodium consumption: Use instruments like Lifenza to watch your day by day sodium. Intention for lower than 2,000 milligrams every day—the really helpful restrict for many adults (12).
Replenish as wanted: Change misplaced sodium by consuming electrolyte-rich meals or drinks after heavy sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Craving salty meals may also be tied to some medicines or well being issues, like Addison’s illness or hormonal imbalances (10). If you end up continually craving salty meals, focus on it together with your physician to rule out any underlying well being points.

When you usually crave sweets …

Candy cravings can stem from low blood sugar, nutrient deficiencies, a necessity for vitality, or perhaps a need for a dopamine increase (13, 14). In these moments, your mind would possibly search sugary meals as a fast repair.

Ceaselessly giving in to those cravings, like ingesting a day by day soda or having ice cream each night time, can hurt your well being and should improve your need for sugar over time.

The excellent news? Analysis means that reducing out added sugar and synthetic sweeteners for as little as two weeks would possibly make it easier to kick a candy tooth. This alteration could reset your style preferences and assist cut back candy cravings (15, 16).

Listed here are another methods to deal with sure causes in your candy cravings:

Stabilize blood sugar: Select balanced meals and snacks. Mix protein, wholesome fat, and sophisticated carbs to maintain your blood sugar regular (17).
Help your vitality: Keep energetic, prioritize stress administration, and get sufficient restorative sleep to energise your physique.
Enhance dopamine naturally: Swap sugar for actions that raise your temper. Attempt exercising, listening to music, or having fun with your favourite hobbies.

You probably have a well being situation or nonetheless crave sugar after altering your weight-reduction plan and life-style, see a health care provider or dietitian for customized recommendation.

You probably have being pregnant cravings …

Not all girls have meals cravings throughout being pregnant, however most do, in keeping with research (18, 19, 20).

The precise cause for these cravings isn’t completely clear. However it probably comes from a mixture of bodily, psychological, and environmental components. Hormonal modifications, heightened senses, and elevated dietary wants are probably a part of the equation (19).

Tradition can even play a giant position in being pregnant cravings. For instance, girls could crave chocolate within the U.S., savory meals in Egypt, and rice and sushi in Japan (19).

Curiously, the meals we consider as “forbidden” can set off even stronger cravings throughout being pregnant (19).

It’s okay to indulge typically, however stability is essential—particularly throughout being pregnant. While you snack, goal for choices which can be good for each you and your child. Attempt nutrient-rich selections like recent fruits, veggies with hummus, nuts, or unsweetened yogurt.

When you’re having hassle with being pregnant cravings or really feel you’re lacking vitamins, see a registered dietitian. They’ll present customized recommendation in your being pregnant diet.

Dietitian-Beneficial Snacks for Cravings

Listed here are a few of Lifenza dietitians’ go-to snacks to fulfill cravings with out compromising well being targets:

Roasted seaweed snacks

In search of a salty, crunchy snack? Roasted seaweed is a scrumptious and wholesome different to chips, says Emily Sullivan, RD.

Not solely is it low in energy, nevertheless it additionally packs a dietary punch, offering important vitamins together with “130% of the B12 you want per day and 35% of the iodine” in a typical serving (21).

On prime of that, Sullivan provides, some early analysis means that seaweed could provide extra well being advantages.

“Seaweed could also be related to a diminished threat of coronary heart points, have cancer-fighting properties, assist with blood sugar regulation, and help thyroid well being,” she says (22). However, she notes that extra analysis is required to substantiate these advantages.

Actual dried fruit snacks

Gummy “fruit snacks” and fruit leather-based with added sugars may be attractive grab-and-go snacks, however they’re not the healthiest choices. When you’re a fruit gummy lover like Stephanie Nelson, MS, RD, she suggests reaching for actual dried fruit snacks as a substitute.

Her prime picks embody That’s It! Apple and Mango or Solely Fruit Snacks. These snacks “have a little bit little bit of fiber they usually are available in comparatively small portion sizes, so I can feed the craving after which be performed,” she explains.

It’s also possible to select dried fruits like raisins, apricots, figs, and dates. These fruits are wealthy in fiber, nutritional vitamins, and minerals, making them a satisfying and nutritious choice. Simply make sure to examine the ingredient label to make sure that they don’t comprise added sugars or preservatives.

Mini-Good Bars

When you’re craving one thing that feels a little bit extra indulgent, Mini-Good Bars may be the right snack for you, says Denise Hernandez, RD.

Her go-to is the chocolate-covered peanut butter taste, which she loves for its scrumptious style and balanced diet.

Every mini bar comprises 5 grams of protein and solely 150 energy, making it supply of protein with a modest calorie rely, Hernandez explains.

Whereas they do comprise 5 grams of added sugar, they will simply match right into a balanced weight-reduction plan. “I like this to beat cravings as a result of it’s each candy and salty, which checks off each cravings that I generally get,” she says.

Greek yogurt with toppings

“Snacks is usually a nice alternative to extend your protein, wholesome fats, and fiber consumption in small increments,” says Joanna Gregg, RD.

When she’s craving one thing candy, one in every of her go-to choices is Greek yogurt with raspberries, strawberries, and a sprinkle of chocolate chips. She notes that simply ¼ cup of Greek yogurt delivers round 6 grams of protein, whereas ¼ cup of berries provides 2–3 grams of fiber.

Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD, additionally recommends Greek yogurt with wholesome toppings as a nutritious and satisfying snack.

She says that “pairing protein with fiber at meals and snacks is a wonderful approach to help your well being targets!” Her favourite mixture contains Greek yogurt topped with chia seeds, a handful of nuts, and recent berries—particularly raspberries.

Greek yogurt is full of protein, which is crucial for constructing and sustaining muscle mass, Jaeger explains (23).

The chia seeds, nuts, and berries add a number of dietary fiber, taking this snack to the subsequent stage.

“Getting sufficient fiber not solely helps your digestive operate, but additionally will help you management your blood sugar, handle your ldl cholesterol, and help you in reaching and sustaining a wholesome weight,” she says (24, 25, 26).

Steamed edamame

For a satisfying, protein-rich snack, attempt one in every of Katherine Basbaum, MS, RD’s favourite afternoon snacks: steamed edamame evenly sprinkled with kosher salt. She says that steaming frozen edamame is fast and simple. It’s additionally wealthy in fiber, protein, and unsaturated fat, making it a wholesome, modest-calorie choice.

Basbaum provides that selecting edamame within the pods will help gradual you down as you eat, stopping you from dashing by way of your snack. Plus, with the pure stability of fiber, protein, and fats, she says it’s the right snack to tide you over between meals.

Cucumber slices with seasoning

Cucumbers are wealthy in water and nutritional vitamins, making them a refreshing and hydrating snack. I can’t advocate them sufficient! They’re additionally identified for his or her pure cleaning properties. Cucumbers could assist in flushing out toxins, stopping constipation, and selling wholesome pores and skin (27).

Plus, they could assist with diabetes prevention, decreasing ldl cholesterol, and combating oxidative stress as a result of their antioxidant content material (27).

I take pleasure in a complete cucumber, evenly seasoned with salt and garlic powder, virtually each day. It’s an extremely wholesome approach to fulfill salty cravings, with solely about 45 energy!

The right way to Cease a Craving

Cravings are regular and typically sign the physique’s wants. So, the objective isn’t to eliminate them utterly (28).

As talked about, inner triggers, like hormonal modifications, low blood sugar, and feelings, may cause cravings (28).

However exterior cues, comparable to sights or smells, can even spark a need for particular meals. For instance, remembering a pleasing meal, smelling a bakery, or seeing a donut on social media can set off cravings (28).

These are all often known as “cue-induced cravings.”

So, it’s vital to acknowledge each inner and exterior triggers to handle cravings successfully.

Some triggers may be averted. For example, you’ll be able to preserve sure snacks out of the home or unfollow particular social media accounts. However others could also be more durable or unattainable to keep away from.

Dealing with Cravings

Sensible ideas

We’ve mentioned the significance of a balanced weight-reduction plan, good sleep, and stress administration in managing on a regular basis cravings. However let’s be actual—typically, irrespective of how exhausting you attempt, these intense cravings nonetheless sneak up on you, particularly when one thing triggers them.

Listed here are just a few easy ideas that can assist you tame these cravings and make them occur much less usually:

Determine craving patterns: Observe cravings with a meals diary or the Lifenza app to know when and why they occur. Recognizing triggers will help you handle them.
Deal with emotional consuming: Course of feelings by way of more healthy shops like journaling, meditation, calling a pal, or searching for skilled assist. Taking steps to deal with your emotions can cut back unhealthy cravings.
Select more healthy swaps: Swap cravings with more healthy snacks that mimic desired flavors or textures. This satisfies cravings whereas sustaining higher diet.
Delay and distract: Cravings can come up from behavior or boredom. When cravings strike, set a timer for 10 minutes and shift your focus by taking a stroll, sipping tea, or participating in one other fulfilling exercise.
Visualize your future self: As an alternative of specializing in fast satisfaction, like a salty snack, take into consideration the long-term advantages of more healthy selections. Image how nice you’ll really feel in the event you persist with your plans—this will help you make higher selections within the second.
Study the professionals and cons: Study in regards to the well being dangers of unhealthy meals and the advantages of more healthy choices, like improved well-being and nice flavors. This will help shift cravings to more healthy selections.

While you do take pleasure in a much less wholesome craving, goal to maintain it to only one portion. However no matter occurs, don’t beat your self up over it or really feel responsible.

As an alternative, let it go and refocus in your wholesome habits!

The Backside Line

Cravings aren’t at all times unhealthy. They’ll usually sign what your physique wants. This would possibly embody a selected nutrient, higher sleep, or emotional help.

Realizing what triggers your meals cravings will help you to deal with them in a wholesome method.

However, don’t deprive your self utterly in relation to meals cravings. Having fun with treats moderately can forestall emotions of restriction. This helps you keep a wholesome relationship with meals.

Stocking up on dietitian-approved snacks can even make it easier to deal with cravings correctly. This fashion, you keep happy and on monitor together with your well being targets.

Need to take issues to the subsequent stage? Checkout the brand new Lifenza Meal Planner characteristic, designed that can assist you grasp meal planning and snacking like a professional.

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