The best crisps, cookies, bread and cereals if you’re on a diet – from choc fingers to Wotsits
WHEN you think of weight loss, you probably assume that some of your favourite snacky, sugary, carb-laden foods are off-limits.
But, you’re wrong.
Ultimately, to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This is the fundamental rule.
Whilst other elements do come into play, calories are king.
So choosing lower calorie versions of these carb-rich foods can make a big difference.
We’ve rounded up some popular crisps, biscuits, breads and cereals which won’t leave you struggling to do up your denim.
Plus some of our hand picked selections also pack in several other health benefits too!
CEREAL THRILLERS
Rude Health Apple & Cinnamon Bircher
£3, Waitrose
178 calories per 60g
A super filling breakfast choice that contains just 178 calories per 60g (note the larger serving size!) and a tiny 4.5g of sugar.
Oats, nuts and fruits also mean you get a hit of digestion-boosting fibre.
Which we all need more of, let’s be honest.
Sainsbury’s High Fibre Bran
£2, Sainsbury’s
140 calories per 40g serve
With a hefty 8.8g of fibre, this cereal is the ultimate in helping to keep things moving down there.
Plus, it packs in energy-releasing B vitamins, vitamin D and iron.
Weetabix Crispy Minis Chocolate
£2.50, Coop
154 calories per 40g
Considering it’s chocolate in a cereal which we get isn’t the ideal healthy start we’re all after, the calories are low.
Add some berries for extra fibre and some nutrients.
Lizi’s High Protein Granola
£4, Sainsbury’s
221 calories per 50g service
This is slightly higher in calories than other cereals but it also packs in 27 per cent of your daily protein intake per serve.
Which is pretty impressive for a granola.
Protein is super satiating, so a bowl of this before work could stop you reaching for the biscuit tin come 11am.
Tesco High Protein Granola
£3.40, Tesco
211 calories and 12 g of protein
Another protein granola for slightly less cost and with less of the crunchy nuts.
So, it really does depend on what you’re after.
However, with 12g of protein, this makes for a good breakfast, topped with some berries or protein-filled Greek yoghurt.
BREAD WIN
Deli Kitchen’s Carb Lite Wrap
£1.80, Sainsbury’s
127 calories per wrap
Smooth wraps that allow you to get your carb hit without heavy calories and stodge.
Plus, despite being a carb-rich food, they do contain a healthy 7 g of protein thanks to the inclusion of pea-protein.
Warburtons Original Thin Bagels
£1.75, Sainsbury’s
130 calories per bagel
Typically seen as a high calorie food to swerve when dieting, these ‘thin’ versions of the classic bagel contain around half the calories of thicker bagel, without missing out on the great taste.
Ideal for filling with light cream cheese and smoked salmon.
Warburtons Danish Sliced Small White bread
£1.25, Tesco
63 calories per slice
A soft slice of WHITE (yes, white!) which won’t impact your waistline at all.
Just be careful what you choose to top your bread with.
Why not spread with light cottage cheese or a teaspoon of nut butter for protein and fibre.
BEST BISCUITS
Nairns Oat Biscuits Mixed Berries
£1.65, Holland & Barrett
Calories: 43 per biscuit
Just 1.6g of sugar
Swap your usual biscuits for these oat-based biscuits which contain more fibre than most biscuits while being as tasty.
This is thanks to wholegrain oats being their main ingredient.
Two Nairns biscuits contain five per cent of your daily fibre intake – but, it’s better than nothing and more than the usuals in the biscuit tin, plus fibre helps with feeling full.
The Skinny Cookie Co Choc Chip Cookies
£1.80, Tesco
97 calories per two cookies
Despite being pretty thick and filled with chocolate chips, these ‘skinny’ cookies pack in just 97 calories per two cookies.
The best thing about these is that they don’t taste ‘skinny’.
In fact, they taste normal. Hoorah!
Tesco Malted Milks
£0.60, Tesco
43 calories per biscuit
A biscuit tin staple, malted milks make the perfect accompaniment to a mug of hot tea.
Plus one light and crumbly biscuit contains just 43 calories and only 1.5 g of sugar.
Belmont Milk Chocolate Fingers
£0.99, Aldi
75 calories per three fingers
Aldi’s twist on the well known chocolate finger, a portion – three – of these doesn’t even come close to 100 calories so you can indulge in something ‘naughty’ without worrying about wrecking your diet.
Lotus Biscoff biscuits
£1.25, Coop
38 calories per biscuit with 3g of sugar
Just when you thought anything Biscoff related was out of bounds on a diet, we’re here to tell you that one of these super sweet caramelised biscuits racks up a tiny 38 calories.
So indulging in two won’t even hit the 100 calorie mark.
CRACKING CRISPS
Walkers 99 Calorie Mix Multipack Crisps 18 pack
£4.65, Tesco
97 calories or less per bag
Each bag of classic Walkers crisps is 97 calories or less which means you won’t be overdoing the calories when you turn to crisps for your 3pm snack.
McCoy’s Classic Variety Multipack Crisps 6 Pack
£2.25, Morrisons
132 calories per bag
The ultimate in crisps, McCoys might seem like one of the most calorific options.
However, a multipack 25 g bag of McCoy’s is smaller than their usual 45 g (238 calories) bag, meaning the calories are lower yet the taste is still the same.
Walkers Wotsits Really Cheesy multipack
£1.65, Coop
82 cals per pack
Yes, the packets are small at 16.5 g per pack, but portion control is important when dieting.
It means we can still enjoy the foods we love, without going overboard and consuming too many calories.
Pom-Bear Original Multipack Crisps
£2.25, Sainsbury’s
65 calories per 13g bag
Who doesn’t love a classic Pom-Bear, teddy-shaped potato crisp?
Light as a feather, there’s more than you think in a bag, yet your waistline won’t have a clue as these aren’t too far off the 50 calorie mark.
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips – which can be adopted slowly – include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that’s high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
Read about:
- The five fat loss foundations
- The calorie formula for weight loss
- The perfect portion sizes for meals to lose weight
- Sun Health’s 8-week weight loss kick start plan