#Snack Goals
Snacking sometimes gets a bad rep but if you're not nibbling on junk food, there's nothing wrong with a little snack. Unfortunately, many snack foods on the market are very unhealthy for you, even the items that claim not to be. Here are ten of the most popular snacks and their healthier alternatives that taste just as good or better.
1. Granola Bars
Granola bars fool a lot of people but don’t let them fool you! They’re often advertised as a healthy snack and their oats, nuts, and fruit content would convince you no other way. Unfortunately, you might as well eat a chocolate bar because granola bars are full of sugar. They might give you a little fiber and protein but overall they’re fake-healthy.
2. Flavored Chips
Potato chips are typically high in saturated fats and low in nutrients. A bag of chips also has your day’s worth of salt in one package. If you read the ingredient list of flavored chips it’s often a novel of preservatives, sugars, and words you can’t pronounce.
3. Flavored Yogurt
Yogurt is another controversial snack–– is it healthy or not? Flavored yogurt of any kind we can guarantee is not the healthiest choice. Besides milk, the main ingredient is sugar which is why it tastes so good. The tub may say “made with real fruit” but there’s more sugar than actual fruit.
4. Pre-made Trail Mix
You’d assume trail mix was a good snack for healthy outdoorsy people but that’s not always the case. Most pre-mixed bags of trail mix are chockfull of oil and sugar. Many of them contain nuts, seeds, and dried fruit that are coated with processed oils and added sugars. Candy or milk chocolate are also common ingredients in a beloved trail mix.
5. Pretzels
Pretzels are just extra salty crunchy knots of white bread. They’re empty calories with little nutrition and loads of sodium. Since they’re made with white flour and too much salt, they’re addictive. Once you try one you can’t help but eat too many.
6. Cereal
We hate to bash everyone’s favorite breakfast food but cereal is an unhealthy snack. Most cereals are highly processed and full of sugar or artificial flavors. You can find healthier options over others but if you find one without sugar, you’ve struck a cereal gem.
7. Store-bought Smoothies
What could be unhealthy about a fruit smoothie? If you’re making one yourself, that’s a different story. If you buy one from the supermarket, it’s basically fruit juice. Most store-bought smoothies are made with concentrated juices with lots of sugar and they lack actual fruit.
8. Soda & Diet Soda
Soda is a popular pairing with many snacks but it’s a bad beverage choice. All sodas, including diet sodas, are bad news. One can of soda contains so much sugar and artificial flavors it shouldn’t be legal. Diet soda has just replaced the sugar with aspartame and isn’t boosting your health either.
9. Microwave Popcorn
Popcorn is the perfect movie snack but microwave popcorn is very unhealthy. The grease leeks out of the package before you even open it. Butter-flavored popcorn is high in fat, sodium, and calories and it contains preservatives and artificial ingredients.
10. Muffins & Pastries
Most muffins and pastries don’t contain any healthy ingredients. The few blueberries in your muffin or the fruit jam in your strudel don’t count as a serving of fruits and vegetables. These baked goods often contain a lot of sugar, butter, white flour, and preservatives. Let’s call them what they are–– they’re desserts!
Sometimes it's hard to imagine an alternative to these tasty munchies but once you give them a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Try these delicious and nutritious alternatives to snack on instead:
1. Date & Nut Bars
Date and nut bars are a much healthier alternative to granola bars. They’re easy to make at home but if you’d rather buy them, look for the packaged bars containing only two or three ingredients. Those first two ingredients should be dates and nuts of course!
2. Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips
Lightly salted tortilla chips are much better for you than flavored chips. If you find them too boring by themselves, dip them! Guacamole or salsa are delicious, healthy dip choices that transform your chips into a nutritious gourmet snack.
3. Plain Greek Yogurt
Plain Greek yogurt is your much healthier alternative to any flavored yogurt on the market. You can dress up your plain yogurt many tasty ways to boost flavor and health. Add a handful of berries or fruit, sweeten it up with a drizzle of honey, and toss in crumbled nuts, chia, or hemp seeds.
4. Mix Your Own Trail Mix
Trail mix is a hearty snack fit for hikers if you make it yourself. Skip the sugar-coated dried fruits and choose your favorites without the added sugar. Go for raw or roasted nuts and seeds, and if you want a dash of salt, add it yourself so you can control the amount. If you believe trail mix is incomplete without chocolate, true dark chocolate tastes amazing with nuts and fruit.
5. Veggies & Hummus
For a mix of salt, crunch, and creamy texture, fix yourself a mini mixed plate of veg and dip. Your raw veggies don’t have to be boring! Drizzle a little olive oil, sprinkle your favorite spices on them and they’ll burst with flavor. Plunge those veggies into a protein-packed hummus and you’re in for a treat.
6. Oatmeal
Swap your cereal for a grain-based snack that’s actually good for you and fills you up. Hot oatmeal, overnight oats, or oats and milk are all healthier alternatives. And the beauty is you can flavor oats however you please. Try cinnamon, maple syrup, nuts, fruit, coconut flakes, raisins–– anything!
7. Apple With Nut Butter
An apple with nut butter is a simple snack with a ton of vitamins and nutrients. It’ll fuel you with protein, fiber, and vitamin C, to name a few benefits. Apple slices with nut butter give you the divine balance of a sweet and juicy crunch with a rich and savory butter.
8. Seltzer Water
Ditch the extra sugary soda pop and quench your thirst with a flavored seltzer water instead. These days, you can find all kinds of sparkling water sweetened with natural flavors and zero added sugar. You can also flavor seltzers yourself with a dash of fruit juice or a squeeze of lemon and ginger.
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9. Stove Top Popcorn
A bag of popcorn kernels is quite cheap and will last you for numerous movie watching sessions. Popping your own popcorn is much healthier for you than the microwaveable stuff and it’s easy to make with a pot on the stove. A little butter or butter substitute won’t hurt and you can add any seasonings you want to jazz it up.
10. Whole Wheat Or Sourdough Bread
There’s nothing like a simply perfect fresh loaf of bread. Replace those unhealthy pastries with whole grain or sourdough bread that’ll satisfy you more. Have a slice plain or toasted and top it with nut butter and honey or try a savory spread or avocado for a savory snack.
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10 Popular Snacks To Avoid & 10 To Snack On Instead
