Not too long ago, I was about twenty pounds heavier. I found it was really easy to gain weight being self-employed and working from home. Not only did I always have access to our sweet treats or baked goodies, but I also had a pretty hectic schedule on a regular basis. That meant busy days and busy nights that didn’t always yield the best food choices since I was trying to cram my meals into small blocks of time while working on my list of never-ending to-do list.
This was never something I was proud of, but I wasn’t really sure what to do. I couldn’t just ignore my to-do list and my sleep was far too precious for me to give up. So around five months ago, I rejoined Weight Watchers. I’ve since lost twenty pounds, and have quit Weight Watchers as I have been able to maintain my weight for the past month+.
I can attribute this weight loss and ability to maintain my weight to one thing: healthy snacking.
For me, healthy snacking usually means a combination of three things: nuts, fruit, and cheese. I also like to throw in a flavored drink (some of my favorites are lemonade or flavored iced tea) to make the snack feel a bit more indulgent.
Any fruit works, but some favorites include apples and pears (or peaches if they are in season.) And cheese? Well, I’m from Wisconsin so pretty much any cheese other than a strong, stinky cheese fits the bill for that, too.
But nuts?
My “go-to, almost always have in the house” nuts are pistachios. And here’s why.
Pistachios are absolutely delicious, but they are by far the best choice in nuts. They are one of the lowest calorie and lowest fat nuts out there plus, they offer way more nuts per serving compared to most other nuts. Pistachios offer about 49 nuts per serving while you can get only 28 peanuts, 13 cashews, 14 walnut halves, or 23 almonds for one serving. I don’t know about you, but less is definitely not always more – especially when it comes to snacking. They also yield about 3 grams of fiber which is more than most nuts and even more than some fruit.
Another reason I love pistachios is unrelated to how healthy they are and more so how long it takes to eat them.
Because you have to crack open the shell to eat them, it’s much harder for me to mindlessly eat them. Plus, since I take breaks to enjoy my snacks, I’m much more likely to squeeze a few more minutes out of my break because I can’t rush to just throw a handful of pistachios in my mouth like I can with other nuts. I’m much less likely to overeat with pistachios and I’m actually forced to take a moment and enjoy my food which is something I wish I did a lot more often.
Love pistachios as much as I do? You’re in luck!
The Pistachio Health Institute is hosting a Year of the Skinny Nut Sweepstakes on their Facebook page where you can enter for a chance to win a year supply of pistachios! The sweepstakes runs from January 7 – January 31, 2015. Head on over for your chance to win!
what are your go-to easy snack choices?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.