A huge (even shockingly) huge percentage of women are on a diet at this very moment. While some struggle with their portion sizes, the majority struggle with snacking. It's so easy to pick up a chocolate bar or one of the doughnuts from the box that was left in the office staff room. Whether you're a picker or someone who can't quite get their snacking and meal times right, here are five low fat snacks that will still satisfy your appetite and cravings until your next meal...

Yoghurt With Honey & Granola

Our first snack is one that's very easy to prepare and it's pretty versatile, too. Plain, pro-biotic yoghurt is the best tasting with honey and you can add pretty much any fruit to the mix, providing it doesn't clash with the sweetness of the honey. Banana, raisins and sunflower seeds are classic choices. Add granola, oats or cornflakes for a bit of added texture and a low fat way to fill yourself up.

Roasted Chickpeas

This is one you might not have heard of before. Chickpeas are packed with fibre to help your digestion, but when cooked in stews and casseroles they're usually mushy and a bit tasteless. Simply dry them on kitchen paper, drizzle with virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with a little garlic salt and black pepper. Spread them out on greaseproof paper and bake at 220 degrees C for around 40 minutes (30-35 for a fan assisted oven). They're crunchy and an ideal low fat savoury snack for before lunch.

Plain Popcorn With Cinnamon

Most of us associate popcorn with treating ourselves to something fatty and yummy at the cinema. Butter toffee popcorn, however, is made with oodles of double cream, sugar and toffee. Take that out and you've got a simple snack that's actually not very high in calories (64 per cup). Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on top while you pop them in a covered saucepan, and a generous pinch of cinnamon if that takes your fancy.

Carob Covered Ginger

Carob is a great cocoa substitute and although it might not taste exactly the same, it's low fat and provides much of the same satisfaction. Buy carob covered ginger pieces from your local health food store and you'll find you eat less as the ginger has such a rich taste. Carob covered raisins and nuts are also available, but remember that the latter can be high in fat!

Edamame

With just 90 calories per half a cup, a bag of edamame (soy beans still in their pods) makes for a great snack. Not only are they yummy and very healthy, but opening up each pod and popping the beans out is quite fun and gives your hands something to do, rather than your mouth. They're savoury, so for an alternative sweet snack that tastes a while to eat try pomegranate. Eating the flesh off each seed gives your mouth some exercise and makes you feel like you're eating more than you actually are. They're hydrating and the fruit contains barely any calories at all.

Stan Tian

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