Eight not-so-healthy snacks, plus 8 easy, healthy alternatives.
By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Expert Column
WebMD Expert Column
What makes a healthy snack? A good-for-you snack is one that's high in nutritional value (protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber) but relatively low in calories, total fat, saturated fat (no trans fat), sugar, and sodium. And the most important part of that equation is "high in nutritional value." Nuts, for example, are high in fat and calories -- but are also loaded with nutrients we need, which makes them a healthy snack.
On the flip side, not-so-healthy snack choices are usually low in nutritional value but high in calories, total fat, saturated fat (and sometimes trans fat), sugars, or sodium.
While fresh veggies and fruits make super-healthy snacks, those items aren't always convenient (or the top choices for your typical family). That said, here are some of the worst snack choices you can find in your local supermarket in terms of healthfulness -- along with some healthy alternatives you can buy or put together in minutes.
8 Not-So-Healthy Snacks
1. Chocolate Coated Donuts, Mini Donuts, and Snack Cakes
This is not to say that powdered-sugar donuts are good snack choices. But chocolate-coated donuts and snack cakes have even more saturated fat than other types.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Sugar (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Entenmann's Pop'ems Frosted Donuts, 2 pieces | 340 | 25 | 16 | 17 | 180 |
Hostess Ho Hos, 3 cakes | 370 | 17 | 13 | 42 | 220 |
Little Debbie Zebra Cakes, 2 | 320 | 14 | 8 | 32 | 150 |
Hostess Donettes Frosted Mini Donuts, 3 donettes | 220 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 160 |
2. Snack Pies
The Safeway fruit pies even say "great snack!" on the package. This makes sense only if by "great snack," they mean high in calories, total fat, saturated fat, and sugar, and low in protein, fiber, and other healthy nutrients.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Sugar (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Safeway Berry Fruit Pie, 1 | 450 | 24 | 13 | 13 | 370 |
Hostess Fruit Pies, 1 | 480-520 | 20-21 | 11 | 29-33 | 400 |
3. Mega-Butter or "Movie Theatre" Microwave Popcorn
This is one of the few products that still contain trans fat. Just 3 tablespoons of unpopped popcorn (which ends up being about 3.5 cups popped) contains 4-5 grams of trans fat. It's easy to end up eating twice that amount, which can be 8-10 grams of trans fat and 24 grams of total fat.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Trans Fat (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Pop-Secret Extra Butter, 3T unpopped | 190 | 12 | 2.5 | 5 | 300 |
Jolly Time Blast O Butter, 2T unpopped | 150 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 340 |
4. Lunchables (Snack Size) by Oscar Mayer
Two types of these snack-sized Lunchables contain about half a day's worth of the suggested amounts of fat, saturated fat, and sodium for someone eating around 2,000 calories a day.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Sugar (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Bologna & American Cracker Stackers | 390 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 900 |
Ham & Cheddar with Crackers | 340 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 1,110 |
5. Regular Chips and Cheetos
Although the serving size listed on the package is 1 ounce, most of us snack on twice this amount. So that's what I'm using as the portion size.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Trans Fat (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Cheetos Puffs, 2 ounces | 320 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 700 |
Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream, 2 ounces | 320 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 460 |
Cheetos Crunchy Wild Habanero, 2 ounces | 300 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 480 |
6. Packaged Frozen Snacks
They sure seem convenient, but the calorie and saturated fat cost is high. You'd be hard-pressed to find packaged frozen products that are low in sodium and made with whole grains and smart fats. In this product category, it's buyer beware!
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Trans Fat (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Jimmy Dean Biscuit Bacon, Egg, & Cheese, 1 sandwich | 330 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 760 |
Hot Pockets -- Pepperoni, 1 piece | 340 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 730 |
Ore-Ida Easy Fries Golden Crinkles, 6-ounce box | 360 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 800 |
Toaster Strudel, 1 pastry | 210 | 9 | 3.5 | 1 | 210 |
7. Tyson Fun Nuggets
They may seem like a good snack choice because they're high in protein (14 grams). But there are ways to get your protein without all the extra fat, saturated fat and sodium.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Trans Fat (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Tyson Fun Nuggets, 5 pieces | 280 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 490 |
8. Cheese Crackers
One serving (1 ounce) probably won't fill you up, since cheese crackers are low in water, volume, protein and fiber. So you’ll probably double the serving -- which means your snack now contains 300 calories, 18 or so grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams sodium.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Trans Fat (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Ritz Bits made with cheese, 1 oz | 150 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 250 |
Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers, 1 oz | 150 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 250 |
8 Healthy Snacks to Try Instead
1. Toasted 100% Whole-Wheat English Muffin with Peanut Butter
You'll find at least two brands of 100% whole-wheat English muffin (Oroweat and Thomas) in most supermarkets. Toasted and spread with some natural-style peanut butter (the type that just contains peanuts and a little salt), these make a satisfying snack with 10 grams protein and 5 grams of fiber.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Oroweat 100% Whole-Wheat English Muffin + 1 Tablespoon Natural-Style Peanut Butter | 250 | 10 | 1.2 | 5 | 295 |
2. Planters Nut*rition Nut Mixes (or similar)
Don’t let the 15 grams of fat per serving fool you. Most of these fat grams are from beneficial monounsaturated fats (8 to 9 grams) and polyunsaturated fats (3 to 5 grams). Each ounce also contains at least 5 grams of protein and plenty of healthful phytochemicals like phytosterols and lignans.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Planters Nut*rition South Beach Diet Mix, 1 ounce | 170 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 50 |
Planters Nut*rition Heart Healthy Mix, 1 ounce | 170 | 15 | 1.5 | 3 | 50 |
3. 94% Fat-Free Microwave Popcorn
When you're craving something crunchy, microwave popcorn can be a quick and easy snack solution. There are now some lighter options on the shelves. Even if you double the serving size listed on the label, it still only adds up to 240 calories, 4 grams fat, and 1 gram of saturated fat -- along with 8 grams of fiber.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop 94% Fat Free Butter, 3 TB unpopped | 120 | 2 | 0.5 | 4 | 240 |
4. Quick Microwave Nachos (Baked chips with beans and cheese)
This high-protein snack (14 grams) is easy to put together. Just put an ounce of baked tortilla chips in a microwave-safe bowl and dot the top with small spoonfuls of the refried beans, right out of the can. Sprinkle some hot sauce or salsa over the top, along with a little shredded cheese. Pop in microwave for 30 seconds or so to heat the beans and melt the cheese. Jazz it up by adding chopped tomato, green onions, and a dollop of fat-free sour cream if you like.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Baked Tostitos, 1 ounce, with 1/3-cup Fat-Free Refried Beans + 1 ounce Reduced-Fat Cheese | 290 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 690 |
5. Quesadillas
A quesadilla is quick to fix in the microwave or over the stove. If you use a whole-wheat or whole-grain tortilla and reduced-fat cheese, you'll get plenty of protein and fiber (12 grams protein; 8 grams fiber) for hunger-satisfying power. You can customize your quesadilla by adding nutrient-rich vegetables such as tomatoes, chopped green onions, peppers, or avocado.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
100 Calorie 100% Whole-wheat Tortilla, 1 oz. Shredded Reduced-Fat Cheddar or Jack Cheese | 190 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 8 | 560 |
6. Lower-Sugar Snack Bars
There are lots of types of snack bars out there, from bars made with granola or nuts or coated in chocolate or yogurt. Most contain plenty of sugar (usually about 12 grams), but there are a few (with 6 grams of sugar per bar) that dare to emphasize nuts instead of sweetness. Note that the grams of fat will be high due to the heart-smart fats found in the nuts.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Nature Valley Almond Crunch Bar | 190 | 13 | 1.5 | 2 | 180 |
7. Fun-to-Eat Frozen Vegetables
Vegetables can be fun to eat, like frozen edamame (green soybeans) from the pod. Just heat in the microwave (you can also serve them cold), open up the pods and snack away at the green soybeans inside. They're low in calories and packed with fiber and protein (8 grams fiber, 10 grams protein). If you're hankering for a potato-based snack, the frozen steak fries are usually the lowest in calories, fat, and saturated fat because they have a higher ratio of potato to crispy exterior.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Edamame (in pod), 1 1/8 cup | 90 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 30 |
Ore*Ida Steak Fries, 3 oz | 110 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 300 |
8. Yogurt and Fruit Smoothie or Parfait
In just a few minutes, you can transform yogurt and fruit into a tasty parfait or smoothie. For a smoothie, combine 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt with 1/4 cup frozen berries or other fruit, half a banana (if desired), 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of cinnamon in a blender until smooth. Add crushed ice if you want. For a parfait, combine the yogurt, vanilla and cinnamon, then layer the mixture with some frozen fruit.
Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Sodium (mg) | |
Plain yogurt (1/2 cup) and frozen fruit (1/4 cup) and 1/2 banana | 145 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 80 |
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