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Published on January 25, 2017
By Bonnie Brost, licensed and registered dietitian at Essentia Health.
Choosing healthy snacks is more important than ever in our culture because very few of us eat sit-down meals. Often we race through each day without much thought about when or what we will eat.
More than nine out of 10 American adults snack at least once a day. Eight out of 10 snack at least twice a day, and six out of 10 snack three or more times a day.
Snacks are an important part of a healthy eating plan, if meals are more than six hours apart. Our bodies have small gas tanks that need to be refueled several times a day. Going more than six hours without eating when we're not sleeping sets us up for feeling starved.
When we get really hungry, we cannot make a healthy choice. We get sucked into buying the candy bar in the store's checkout line, driving through the fast-food restaurant, hitting the vending machine for a bag of chips or candy or taking extra-large portions at our next meal.
Make a plan to have healthy snacks available. Pack snacks to take with you if you will not be home for several hours. Put healthy snacks in a convenient place at home. Keep a list posted in the kitchen of snacks available for you and other family members. Pre-measure and pack healthy items in snack-size baggies, so they're easy to grab and you can keep the calories in check.
My definition of a healthy snack is:
With so many snack products available, it can be very confusing when trying to choose a healthy option. A great cellphone app called "Fooducate" can help. Scan a product's barcode, and the app offers a grade of A, B, C or D. It also explains the grade, such as whether it contains a whole grain or added sugar. The app will even offer names of "alternative" products that may be better. "Fooducate" is maintained by registered dietitians.
Here are a few ideas for healthy snacks:
Snack
Portion size
Calorie range
Comments
Fresh fruit Banana, apple, orange, clementine, pear, grapes, berries
1 each or 16 grapes or 1 cup berries
50-110
Whole fruits have no added sugar and are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Frozen grapes are a great treat.
Fresh vegetables Carrots, snap peas, jicama, fresh bell pepper, cherry tomatoes
1 cup
25-50
Whole vegetables have no added sugar and are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Eat with hummus dip found in the produce case.
Whole-grain crackers Triscuit, Hint of Salt Wheat Thins, Crunchmaster crackers
1 ounce is 6-16 crackers
120-140
Portion these out. Loaded with whole grains that are high in important minerals and antioxidants. Serve with hummus instead of cheese.
Whole-grain chips Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips
1 ounce (about 10 chips)
140
High in whole grain, low in sodium and gluten free. Serve with lower sodium salsa or hummus.
Bean chips Beanito chips or Tostitos Black Bean chips
1 ounce (9-12 chips)
Portion these out. High in fiber, low in sodium.
Popcorn Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt or Skinny Pop popcorn
3-4 cups
100-140
Whole grain, high in fiber. Includes good fats and low in sodium. Some microwave popcorns are too high in sodium and bad fats.
Light string cheese
1 each
60-80
Low in saturated fat, high in protein and calcium.
Fat-free or low-fat yogurts. Light or Greek yogurts are lower in sugar.
5-ounce cup
80-140
Greek yogurt is high in protein. Light yogurts have less added sugar. High in calcium.
Snack bars Kashi bars, Kind bars, That' It Fruit Bars, Pressed Bars, Pressed Fruit Bars, Nature Valley Thins
90-200
Convenient. Grains used are whole grain. Very little added sugars.
Nuts (undressed) Almonds, peanuts, mixed nuts
¼ cup
150-180
Choose lightly salted if available. High in the good fats and have protein.
