Are Saltine Crackers Good For Weight Loss?

Find out whether saltine crackers are good for weight loss or fattening so putting together a diet that works becomes easier.

Something to note first is that while exact saltine cracker nutrition details can vary, the general trends tend to be similar.

A few of these trends are that saltine crackers tend to contain a lot of calories, a nice amount of fiber, a nice amount of protein, and nice amounts of vitamins and minerals.

In turn, saltine crackers add a high amount of energy to your diet without being that filling. That means they are generally not good for weight loss.

You could argue for eating some saltine crackers while losing weight if you really like them or find that they help you eat less of even worse foods.

That being said, avoiding saltine crackers is generally a good idea if you want weight loss results.

Calories in saltine crackers

The number of calories in them is one of the first things you want to check to know whether saltine crackers are good for weight loss or not.

100 grams of one example of saltine cracker contain around 418 calories (1).

If you are not familiar with the typical values, saltine crackers contain a lot of calories per 100 grams compared to many foods.

This is generally not good when trying to lose weight.

Additionally, most of these calories come from carbohydrates (74 grams). In turn, saltine crackers are definitely not keto-friendly either.

That being said, where these calories come from will influence your weight loss journey too.

Fiber in saltine crackers

Saltine crackers do not quite grow on plants. However, the ingredients used to make them do contain fiber which is relevant when trying to lose weight.

Before going into why this is, saltine crackers contain around 2.8 grams of fiber per 100 grams (1).

This is slightly above average which makes saltine crackers slightly less bad for weight loss.

The main reason for this is that fiber helps you feel fuller without really adding any absorbable calories to your diet.

Many people find it hard to stick to a weight loss diet due to hunger and cravings so this is a plus.

Additionally, fiber can improve gut health which can in turn potentially benefit weight loss.

However, this area needs more research and you definitely don’t want to eat the refined carbohydrates in saltine crackers for gut health.

In short, saltine crackers contain a bit of fiber which is a helpful detail when trying to lose weight.

Protein in saltine crackers for weight loss

Similar to fiber, protein in foods like saltine crackers tends to be helpful for losing weight.

First, 100 grams of saltine crackers contain around 9.5 grams of protein per 100 grams (1).

This is a decent amount but at the same time, often a lot lower than food categories like meat and nuts.

One reason protein tends to be helpful for weight loss is that it is another relatively filling nutrient type.

Additionally, consuming enough protein is important for preserving and building muscle mass.

In turn, this muscle mass helps you burn more energy throughout the day. This is generally a good thing when trying to lose weight.

Having enough muscle is also simply important for health and longevity.

To hit the protein intake that offers all these benefits, saltine crackers alone will not be enough.

On the flip side, the extra amounts of protein in saltine crackers are still somewhat helpful for weight loss.

Vitamins and minerals in saltine crackers

Vitamins and minerals are smaller types of nutrients that are involved in many areas of your health.

It is hard to measure their exact impact on weight loss but getting enough vitamins and minerals is generally a good idea.

100 grams of saltine crackers contain more or less the following amounts of vitamins and minerals (1):

• Thiamin: 47% of the DV (Daily Value)
• Sodium: 39% of the DV
• Folate: 34% of the DV
• Niacin: 32% of the DV
• Iron: 31% of the DV

And a few other vitamins and minerals in nice amounts.

Depending on what foods you already eat, saltine crackers could offer some vitamins and minerals you can use more of.

On the flip side, if you already eat a lot of grain-based foods, you will likely already get enough of these micronutrients.

So saltine crackers contain decent amounts of vitamins and minerals. It is hard to measure the exact effect on weight loss but it is generally smart to consume enough of these.

Are saltine crackers good for a weight loss diet?

By now, you know that saltine crackers contain a lot of calories, a decent amount of fiber, a small amount of protein, and nice amounts of vitamins and minerals.

The result of these things is that saltine crackers will likely add a lot of calories to your diet without really filling you up.

In turn, it is fair to say that saltine crackers are generally not good for weight loss diets.

There are definitely a lot more weight-loss-friendly snacks out there.

Can you eat saltine crackers when trying to lose weight?

The things above still apply but there are some reasons why you could eat saltine when trying to lose weight and see positive results.

First of all, while saltine crackers may not be optimal, there are also foods that are worse for weight loss.

In turn, eating saltine crackers could help you avoid these more suboptimal foods and help you lose weight.

Secondly, if you really like eating saltine crackers, adding them to your weight loss diet could make it easier to stay consistent.

How many saltine crackers you can ultimately eat depends a lot on details like your body, the rest of your diet, and your activity levels.

You can start with a certain amount, see what the results are, and adjust how many saltine crackers you eat if needed.

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