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7 snack ideas with less than 100 calories

calories

What are calories, anyway? The concern with calorie intake is a constant in the world of fitness. But do you know what calories are, how can you know how many you should consume and what variables influence that amount?

If you’re worried about controlling the number of calories you ingest, then see the low-calorie ideas I have for you and try them out!

What are calories?

There are several definitions but the one that best applies here is:

“A unit of energy, often used as a measurement of the amount of energy that food provides.”

The number of calories is variable from food to food. And the number of calories a person needs daily varies as well.

Typically, calories are represented with a number + kcal. Kcal means Kilocalorie and is the term used to determine the amount of calories that certain food has.

How to calculate the amount of calories?

This amount depends on the physical characteristics (sex, weight, height), age, pathologies, physical activity and also the goal of each person.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), the recommended quantities for adult males vary between 2000 and 2800, and for adult women vary between 1800 and 2200. However, these numbers are not static.

For example, if the goal is to increase muscle mass, the amount of calories will differ greatly from the recommended amount when the goal is weight loss.

It is essential that the person knows their Basal metabolic rate (BMR), i.e. the amount of calories that the body uses/spends at rest to be able to maintain vital functions.

After this calculation, we’ll know how many calories we need to keep the weight balanced. If, for example, the goal is to increase muscle mass, it may be necessary to increase the calories consumed-that is, that will go beyond the ones that our body spends at rest. If the goal is to decrease the weight, then the reasoning is the opposite: reduce the number of calories consumed.

In the case of weight loss, normally the recommended is to consume less 500 kcal than BMR, so that the body can use the stored fat as a source of energy and consequently decrease the fat and body weight.

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Quantity vs. Quality

Subsequently to calculations, a Food Plan is built. This plan is based on the division of Macronutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrates) and they, in turn, will be translated into food.

Although the amount of calories in each food is important, food cannot be evaluated only through the amount of calories, but rather from the origin of these calories.

Two foods can have the same amount of calories but do not have the same quality.

Check an example:

If it is a very caloric food, and we find that the biggest contributors to that number of calories are saturated fat or sugars (biscuits stuffed, for example), food will be considered a nutritionally poor food and, in this way, this food will have no interest for us.

However, in the case of a food that is rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats or proteins (e.g. nuts) and that has the same quantities as the previous one will be considered a nutritionally rich and possible food to be added to our diet.

As seen by the previous comparison, the number of calories does not define the quality of food, but rather the energy that our body can absorb through that food. It is therefore more interesting to know the macronutrients of this food to understand what role this food will have in our body and what the quality of the calories we are ingesting.

In any case, we cannot consider that a low-calorie food is a healthy food. It is also important to know the macronutrients of food, because they may be more or less interesting from a nutritional point of view.

See some snack ideas with nutritional interest and with less than 100 kcal – easy and quick to prepare!

Corn crackers with poached egg

calories

Preparation mode:

Poach an egg and place it as topping off a corn cracker without salt. You can spice it up with some spices to taste.

Number of calories: 85kcal

Light fresh cheese (60g) with cinnamon

calories

Preparation mode:

Place a light fresh cheese on a dessert plate and add cinnamon as topping.

Number of calories: 60kcal

Pineapple shake and grated coconut 

calories

Preparation mode:

Put in a mixer 100ml of skim milk, add a slice of a natural pineapple (medium size) and 1 teaspoon of grated coconut. Grind it and serve with ice cubes.

Number of calories: 87kcal

Black Chocolate 70% + 25 blueberries

calorias

Preparation mode:

Opt for a black chocolate square with 70% cocoa and add 25 blueberries to this delicious snack.

Number of calories: 90kcal

0% Quark Cheese gelatin

calorias

Choose a packet of gelatin of 10 kcal to make at home, which in the instructions is described the heating of 500ml of water, the addition of gelatin powder and the addition of 500ml of cold water.

After following the instructions exactly as described in the 10 kcal gelatin package, add 500g of quark cheese with 0% fat. Divide it by 200g cups and put, at least, 2 hours in the refrigerator. Delight yourself with a nice cup of 0% quark cheese gelatin as a snack.

Number of calories: (200g = 36 kcal)

Natural Yogurt with sunflower seeds

Preparation mode:

Add a dessert spoon of sunflower seeds to 100g of natural yogurt and experience the crispy texture of the seeds with the smoothness of the yogurt.

Number of calories: ~ 98kcal

Fruit Salad

Prepare your own fruit salad and do not exceed the 100 kcal in an easy and very tasty way.

Preparation mode:

Mix 50g of blackberries + 50g pineapple + 50g of cherries + 50g of watermelon + 50g of melon. In the end, the result is a colorful and delicious cup!

Number of calories: 100kcal

Don’t forget! Make the best choices when deciding what you are going to eat, try to understand where the calories from the food that makes up your diet are coming from and try these ideas!

Comments

The information included in this article concerns the authors opinion only.

About Ângela Ferreira

Ângela Ferreira
Ângela Ferreira is a nutritionist. She has a degree in Nutrition Sciences and she is doing a Master's degree in Consumer Sciences and Nutrition. She currently works in Sports Nutrition and Clinic Nutrition. Her goal is to actively participate in changing the population's eating habits and to demonstrate that healthy eating can be simple and practical.

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