3. Edamame
Edamame is technically a legume, but there’s good news; the USDA considers legumes and pulses — such as beans, peas, and lentils — to be a vegetable subgroup. In other words, yep, they count!
And that’s great news, because edamame makes a fantastic veggie snack option. “Just one cup of edamame has 17 grams of protein and eight grams of fiber,” says Claire Virga, MS, RDN, of Rooted Wellness. That, plus its unsaturated fat content, “makes it the ideal snack for long-lasting satiety,” Virga says.
Jodi Greebel, a registered dietitian at Citrition, recommends heating up some edamame with a pinch of sea salt for extra taste. Even better, you can often buy edamame frozen, so it’s easy to keep at home even when you don’t have the time or ability to grab fresh produce.
4. Cucumbers and Hummus
“This is such an easy snack, especially to put out before dinner,” Greebel says. The cucumbers are high in water and fiber content, and hummus offers up more fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals thanks to the main ingredient: chickpeas. Not to mention, when you slice up a cucumber, the small discs are the perfect scooping size for hummus.