If you feel like you are being deprived, it will be difficult to succeed on any weight loss plan. You can eat healthy snacks and still lose weight.

In your change to healthy snacks, it is best to start by having a clean slate. Clean out your refrigerator and pantry and purge all non-healthy foods. This will accomplish two things:

• You will remove any temptation when you are having a weak moment.
• You will be able to make better choices, for yourself, and the rest of your family as well.

What types of snacks can you eat that won’t derail your diet?

There are a variety of choices available:

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Your healthiest snacks are going to be those that are as close to nature as possible. This means keeping fresh fruits and vegetables on hand.

• Take advantage of buying those fruits that will provide you with the sweetness and the crunch you crave.
• Buying fruits that are in season will be cheaper.
• Apples, grapes, oranges, and other fruits are important for a healthy diet even if you are not trying to lose weight. Avocados are another great choice.

2. Dried fruit can be a great snacking option for those trying to lose weight. Raisins, Craisins (dried cranberries), and other dried fruits will give you the feeling of eating something forbidden and yet they can be enjoyed in moderation.

• As with any food, if you do not limit the portions, you can ruin any attempt at dieting.

3. Potato chip alternatives. Is one of your weaknesses potato chips? If so, there is a healthy alternative that is easy, convenient, and will give you a satisfying crunch.

Wash and cut up the vegetables into handy snack sizes so they will be easy to grab when you want a quick snack:

• Baby carrots or carrot sticks
• Celery sticks
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cucumber
• Cherry or grape tomatoes

Sometimes crunchy vegetables will not meet your needs when you are craving chips! You may crave the salt and the crusty crunch that celery sticks just will not satisfy.

• Whole wheat pretzels might do the trick.
• Dip your pretzel in peanut butter for additional taste and to bolster your metabolism.

4. Nuts and seeds are additional healthy snacks you can eat when you are trying to lose weight. They are full of nutrients your body needs and can be great choices.

• Be careful when eating nuts and seeds, however, as they are high in fat content.  Eating too many could blow your diet for the day.

5. Popcorn can be a great snack for someone trying to lose weight. Rather than adding butter or other high calorie toppings, try to eat light popcorn or air popped popcorn.

Choosing healthy snacks rather than those loaded with fat and calories will make losing weight much easier. When you feel like you need a snack, it is important not to deprive yourself.

Choose wisely and you will feel great and still lose weight!

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The most common schedule limits eating to a few hours each day. You could have a late lunch along with dinner at your regular time. You would limit your eating to a 4-5 hour window.

There are other schedules and approaches, but this one is generally the most popular.

If you’re really motivated, you could try alternating one day of eating with one day of fasting. Traditionally, water is the only permitted item on fasting days although there are other programs which support fasting days with supplements or lite snacks. Other people choose to limit their eating to an 8-hour window. Depending upon your life style there are many options that will work with your schedule.

The following are only a few of the health benefits that can be experienced from Intermittent fasting (IF):

1. Reduces oxidative damage. Normal cellular metabolism produces free radicals. These highly reactive molecules cause damage in your body. Antioxidants are one class of nutrients that counteract these effects. Intermittent fasting reduces the presence of free radicals, resulting in less oxidative damage
   • Oxidative damage is also suspected of being one component of aging. The damage of oxidative stress eventually adds up, and the organism eventually dies.
2. Reduces inflammation. Inflammation is in the news on a daily basis. Systemic inflammation is caused by the immune system. This low-grade inflammation is rarely noticed, but it’s implicated in many chronic diseases. Hypertension, arthritis, and asthma are three examples. Lupus and inflammatory bowel disease are also caused by inflammation.
   • The foods we eat are major contributors to inflammation. By going a longer period without food, you can reduce the amount of inflammation in your body.
3. Possibly increases your life span. IF has been shown to increase life span in rodents. The surest was of increasing the lifespan of any mammal is to reduce its calorie intake. Studies haven’t been going on long enough to show if the effect is found in humans, but scientists have been able to double the lifespan of rats and mice by reducing their food intake.
4. Reduces obesity and hypertension. If you only eat for a few hours per day, you’ll eat less. When you eat less, you weigh less. Hypertension is also reduced by intermittent fasting. This is probably due to a combination of weight loss and reduced inflammation.
   • Obesity is implicated as a contributing factor to many diseases. Getting your weight under control is an important goal.
5. IF has been found to improve, or even cure, type-2 diabetes. Reducing the number of times you eat each day will reduce the amount of insulin released by your pancreas. This helps to improve insulin sensitivity. Again, losing weight is also believed to be a factor.

By reducing hypertension, inflammation, and blood sugar issues, the likelihood of developing heart disease is much lower. Intermittent fasting can be that powerful.

Intermittent fasting has been shown to provide numerous health benefits. However, it’s still necessary to choose your foods wisely. The quality of your diet is still important. No diet will turn doughnuts and chips into health foods. You still have the responsibility to eat well.

Intermittent fasting can be an effective way to combat aging and many diseases. Of course, it’s still necessary to follow the advice of your physician. Start slowly. Try skipping breakfast and any morning snacks for a week. The following week, give up your evening snacks, too. You’ll be an intermittent faster before you know it.

For more information on the benefits of Intermittent Fasting and how to get started, click here for a Free Report.

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