Diet Benefits of Eating Crackers & Cheese

Healthy snacks keep you feeling energetic and productive throughout the day, and the Hospital for Special Surgery recommends combining whole-grain foods with sources of protein to create snacks that keep you feeling satisfied. A snack of crackers and cheese fits the bill, as long as you choose crackers made with 100-percent whole grains. Crackers and cheese provide essential nutrients that help support healthy weight loss, and also promote tissue health and fight chronic disease.

Crackers boost your fiber intake, especially if you choose varieties made from 100-percent whole grain flour. Foods rich in fiber make welcome additions to weight-loss diets, because fiber helps you feel satisfied after your meal, and a low fiber intake correlates with a higher risk of obesity, explains the Linus Pauling Institute. A diet that includes sufficient fiber also protects you from chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A 1-ounce portion of whole-wheat crackers offers 3 grams of dietary fiber, approximately 12 percent of the daily fiber requirements for women and 8 percent for men, recommended by the Institute of Medicine.

Crackers and cheese provide beneficial protein, a nutrient required to maintain healthy tissue. Your bones, skin and hair all contain protein, and require adequate protein from your diet to stay strong and resistant to damage. Protein makes a smart addition to your diet for weight loss. It boosts your metabolism, because your body burns calories in order to digest it -- approximately 10 times more calories than it takes to burn fat, and more than four times the calories it takes to burn carbohydrates, explains United Nations University. A serving of crackers and Cheddar or Gouda cheese -- 1 ounce of whole-wheat crackers and 1 ounce of cheese -- contains 10 grams of protein.

Cheese contains calcium, and snacking on crackers and cheese helps you reach your daily calcium intake goals, which proves beneficial if you're on a diet. A snack of crackers and Cheddar cheese contains 214 milligrams of calcium -- 21 percent of the recommended daily intake set by the Institute of Medicine. An equivalent serving of crackers and Gouda offers 208 milligrams of calcium. Following a diet rich in calcium helps boost fat loss, explains WebMD, and high calcium intake correlates with a lower risk of obesity. Calcium also offers health benefits. Your nerves, muscles and heart rely on small amounts of calcium to function properly, and getting enough calcium from your diet helps you build and maintain healthy bones.

Lend more flavor to your crackers and cheese with diet-friendly additions. Serve Cheddar cheese and crackers with thinly sliced apple for some natural sweetness -- the apple also adds extra fiber to your snack. Serve crackers and cheese with sliced cucumbers for a satisfying crunch, or enjoy cubes of cantaloupe with crackers and Gouda for a salty-and-sweet snack.

Monitor your portion size when you're preparing cheese and crackers to avoid over-eating and sabotaging your diet. A serving of an ounce of cheese is approximately the size of 4 dominos, advises Cleveland Clinic.