Snack foods are often categorized as junk food. However they don’t have to be. To keep a snack healthy, be sure to review its nutrition facts. If those are woeful, there is always a healthful alternative that can easily be substituted. The key is to replicate shapes and textures, but opt for the healthier options.
If you want to eat:
- 140 calories
- 7 g total fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- 160 mg sodium
- 17 g carbohydrate
- 1 g dietary fiber
- 1 g sugar
- 2 g protein
Then you should try:
- 25 calories
- 5 g total fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- 5 g carbohydrates
- 0g sugar
- 1 g protein
- .5 g fiber
- 5 mg sodium
Kale chips are the better choice for a healthy snack as they not only have more volume in the amount of food that can be consumed, but fewer calories and less fat and carbohydrates. They also have about 10 times less sodium.
If you want to eat:
- 130 calories
- 0 g total fat
- 15 mg sodium
- 31 g carbohydrates
- 18 g sugar
- 1 g protein
- fiber not mentioned
Then you should try:
- 49 calories
- 0 g fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- 2 mg sodium
- 12 g carbohydrates
- 3 g dietary fiber
- 7 g sugar
- 1 g protein
It’s a no-brainer that fruit is a better alternative to fruit snacks. One serving of generic fruit snacks can easily be held in one palm. However for fewer calories, less sugar, sodium and carbohydrates, people can choose 1 cup of halved, fresh strawberries. They are also a good source of vitamin C.
If you want to eat:
- 110 calories
- 1 g total fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- 350 mg sodium
- 24 g total carbohydrates
- 1 g dietary fiber
- 1 g sugar
- 2 g protein
Then you should try:
- 25 calories
- 0 g total fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- 45 mg sodium
- 6 g carbohydrates
- 2 g fiber
- 3 g sugar
- 1 g protein
Carrots can easily replaces pretzel sticks in both shape and convenience. They contain less than a quarter of the calories found in salted pretzels. They also have seven times less the amount of sodium found in pretzels.
If you want to eat:
- 250 calories
- 16 g fat
- 80 mg cholesterol (20 mg sodium per oz.)
- 45 mg sodium
- 25 g carbohydrates (6.25 g carbohydrates per oz.)
- less than one g fiber
- 23 g sugar (5.75 g sugar per oz.)
- 4 g protein
Then you should try:
- 170 calories
- 3 g total fat
- 15 mg cholesterol
- 110 mg sodium (18.33 mg sodium per oz.)
- 27 g carbohydrates (4.5 g carbohydrates per oz)
- less than one gram fiber
- 27 g sugar (4.5 g sugar per oz.)
- 8 g protein
Because the two serving sizes differed, nutritional aspects were divided to the ounce to keep ratios even between the compared snacks. With those changes, low-fat yogurt beat ice cream in terms of sugar, fat and overall calories. For those who are skeptical that yogurt can replace ice cream for dessert, try freezing it in ice-cube trays or ice-pop molds.
If you want to eat:
- 320 calories
- 19 g total fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- 540 mg sodium
- 30 g carbohydrates
- 2 g fiber
- 2 g sugar
- 4 g protein
Then you should try:
- 190 calories
- 10g total fat
- 0 mg cholesterol
- 160 mg sodium
- 23 g carbohydrates
- 4g fiber
- 0 g sugar
- 3 g protein
One snack-sized bag popped into about 4 cups of popcorn. Popcorn was the better option when compared to corn chips based not only on the difference in volume, but also the nutritional aspects. Kettle popcorn contained fewer calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates and had more fiber. The corn chips, when only the serving sizes are considered, had an additional ounce of protein.
Source: Heart.org
