Smart Snacking
Paige Heiden, MS, RDN
Incorporating snacks in between your meals can help you control your portions and appetite at meal times. Snacking can also help to keep you feeling energized throughout the day.
- A snack should be anywhere between 100-250 calories
- Most snacks will be closer to 150-200 calories
- An appropriate target for a sweet/fun snack is 100 calories
- For a filling afternoon snack, you’ll want something with at least 150 calories
- A snack should include one of these combinations for fullness and blood sugar control:
- Protein + Fat + Carbohydrate
- Protein + Carbohydrate
- Fat + Carbohydrate
- Protein + Fat
- Mix & Match!
- Protein: string cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, protein powder, eggs, Jerky
- Fat: nut butter, nuts, hummus, guacamole, olives, avocado
- Carb: fruit, popcorn, rice cakes, seeded crackers, veggies, high-fiber cereal
- Combo Foods: chickpeas, edamame, protein bars
Paige’s Top 20 Snack Recommendations:
- 100-200 calorie pack of nuts
- 0% Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fresh berries and a sprinkle of nuts
- Apple with a spoonful of peanut butter
- Low-fat cheese with a few whole grain crackers (BabyBel, Laughing Cow)
- Hard-boiled eggs with a few nuts
- Hummus or guacamole cup with raw vegetables and a few whole grain crackers
- ½ Multigrain English muffin with mashed avocado
- Sargento Balanced Breaks (mix of nuts, cheese and fruit)
- Roasted Chickpeas/Beans (Bada Bean Bada Boom, Seapoint Farms)
- Unsalted/lightly salted popcorn (Skinny Pop) with low-fat string cheese
- Low-fat cheese stick with whole grain crackers (Mary’s Gone Crackers)
- Epic Snack Strips with a piece of fruit of your choice
- Canned tuna with light mayo, chopped vegetables and whole grain crackers
- Turkey roll-ups with low-fat cheese, cucumbers and hummus
- Wasa crackers with low-fat cream cheese and smoked salmon
- Rice cracker with a spoonful of almond butter and sprinkle of chocolate chips
- Egg bites (Starbucks, Trader Joe’s or DIY it!)
- Small portion of soup/salad
- Protein bars
- Protein shakes
Protein Bars:
- ONE
- ALOHA
- Raw Rev
- RX
- Barebell’s
- Think
- Built
Protein Shakes:
- OWYN
- Drink Koia
- Fairlife Corepower
- Iconic
Savory Snack Brands:
- Mary’s Gone Crackers
- Hu Kitchen
- Whisps
- Beanfield’s
- Rhythm
- Simple Mills
- Seapoint Farms
- Bada Bean Bada Boom
- Biena Snacks
- Chomps
- Flackers
Sweet Snack Brands:
- Unreal Peanut Butter or Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Lily’s Dark Chocolate
- Smart Sweets gummies
- Simple Mills cookies
- Clio Greek Yogurt bars
- Skinny Dipped Almonds
- Halo Top ice cream
- Trader Joe’s Hold the Cone
- Trader Joe’s Gone Bananas or Gone Berry Crazy
