Ice cream scooped slyly in the night. Oreo cookies tucked into secret spots in the car. A bag of peanuts hidden from the kids. Everyone has a snack they just can’t resist. When determining how good or bad a snack really is, consider these factors:
Quantity: A snack with a small serving size is dangerous. Who has the willpower to eat just one cookie?
Ingredients: A snack item made with high sugar and fat content is not only unhealthy, it encourages you to eat more. High calorie and high sodium snacks are also unhealthy.
Satisfaction: Without protein or fiber, the feeling of fullness associated with food doesn’t occur as quickly. If you don’t feel satisfied once you eat your snack, you are apt to eat more of the same snack or another snack altogether.
The Worst of the Worst
- Donuts and snack cakes: Brands like Hostess and Little Debbie have very high levels of sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. Combine the unhealthy ingredients with tiny serving sizes and no feeling of fullness and you have the perfect unhealthy snack.
- Snack Pies: These little pies offer slightly more satisfaction that their doughy counterparts. However, the combination of high calories, high fat, saturated far, sugar, low protein, and low fiber make these snacks very unhealthy.
- Mega Butter Popcorn: Studies show that the level of sodium in this popcorn is so high it caused blood pressure spikes in those eating the popcorn. This combined with the calories and trans fat found in the butter make going to the movies a death sentence.
- Lunchables: A single Lunchable meal provides your child with a half a day’s worth of calories, fat, sat fat, sugar, and sodium.
- Chips and Snack Crackers: High levels of sodium and trans fat make chip and some snack crackers a dangerous choice.
- Capri Sun and Sunkist: These juices contain a tiny amount of real fruit. The rest is all sugar and fake nutrients. Opt for real fruit juice instead.
- Cookies: High levels of sugar and fat make these delicious treats bad for you. Fortunately, there are healthy cookies out there.
- Fruit By The Foot: High fructose corn syrup, sugar, and flavoring make up these “fruit” snacks.
- and 10. Popsicles & Ice Cream: Sugar, sugar, and more sugar. There are lots of sweet but healthy alternatives to the classic summer treats. Try real fruit pops or frozen yogurt.
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