Lifestyle

Healthy snacks to curb cravings

We all know the feeling. You've made your pledge to get your summer body sorted for next year and it involves one or all of the following: get back to the gym, eat healthier and to lose some weight.

But dieting your way to a perfect figure could be harder than you think if you're prone to snacking.

New research has shown that one in seven - that's four million - British women will eat five or more sugary and salty snacks a day. So is the diet doomed from the start?

A healthy start
Try our recipe for
low GI pancakes

More than half of the women polled said they wished they could give up their snacking vice, but it's almost impossible to cut snacking out completely, so the key is to make sure that what you are snacking on is healthy.

Try some our top skinny snacks instead of that packet of crisps and you'll be back on the right track and feeling great in no time.

1. Celery sticks and cucumber slices, with a quarter of a cup of hummus for dipping
2. Wholegrain crackers with low-fat cheese spread
3. Non-fat yoghurt with half a cup of a high-fibre cereal
4. White turkey breast meat with half a small avocado
5. Rye crisp bread with cottage cheese
6. Mixed berries with natural yoghurt
7. Nuts, such as almonds, cashews, walnuts or Brazil nuts
8. Fresh fruit, like bananas and apples are only around 80 calories each
9. Rice cakes spread with pesto and sliced tomatoes
10. A fresh fruit smoothie