Snack attack
Your office’s bottomless pretzel bowl, fidgety fingers, boredom, free samples, time to kill — if you need an excuse to snack, you can find one. But if you need a good excuse to snack, here it is: You’re a kid, athlete or person with diabetes, says Vandana Sheth, a registered dietitian near Los Angeles. For everyone else, smart snacks can help sustain energy and prevent mealtime binges, but can also be counterproductive for weight control if they have more than 200 calories, less than 3 grams of fiber and less than 5 grams of protein, says Jessica Crandall, a registered dietitian in Denver. Are unwanted pounds from these healthy snacks creeping up on you?
Trail mix
Trail mix kept you fueled while hiking at summer camp, but it may not be the best choice to tide you over during a sedentary workday. “Many brands have a lot of added sugars and fats to flavor it,” says Sheth, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For example, 3 measly tablespoons of a generic trail mix has 9 grams of fat (most of it healthy, though) and 11 grams of sugar, according to My Fitness Pal, which maintains a nutritional database of more than 1 million foods. If you make your own (try whole-grain cereal, nuts, seeds and dried fruit, Sheth recommends), keep servings to a skimpy handful.
Rice cakes
These crunchy snacks are mostly air, which basically means they’re calorie-free — right? Not so fast, says Joy Dubost, a registered dietitian and food scientist in the District of Columbia who can’t endorse rice cakes’ lack of fiber and protein. “If you proceed with having rice cakes as a snack, I would suggest breaking them up into small pieces to extend the snacking time and create a more mindful experience versus chomping down quickly on one,” she says. Crandall, meanwhile, prefers air-popped popcorn topped with rosemary and enjoyed with an orange for salty-sweet snack satisfaction.
Guacamole
From colorful avocado toast to festive bowls of guacamole, avocado might be called the darling of healthy-eating Instagram feeds. After all, the photogenic fruit is full of monounsaturated fat, potassium and fiber. But how often do you see a satiating picture of only one-fifth an avocado, which California Avocados considers a serving size? “One avocado, which … I’ve seen many eat, especially as a dip, can be 400 calories,” says Crandall, who suggests dunking vegetables in a black bean and salsa mix. Other spreads like tahini and peanut butter are nutrient-rich, Dubost says, but that’s “no free pass to consume more than a serving size.”
Dried fruit
It’s portable, chewy, sweet and packed with antioxidants — not a bad recipe for a healthy snack. But dried fruit is also easy to overconsume and can be pumped with extra sugar. One best-selling brand of dried mango on Amazon, for instance, packs 32 grams of sugar in just six slices, which already exceeds the daily recommended limit of sugar for women (25 grams) and nears men’s 37.5 grams-a-day limit. Pairing a piece of whole fruit like an apple with a bit of protein like string cheese is one of Crandall’s favorite alternatives. “Focusing on having produce helps to increase the fiber and fullness factor of snacks,” she says.
Granola bars
Most granola bars’ packaging screams “healthy.” But in reality, “they can be as high as 250 to 300 calories and laden with added sugar and low in protein and fiber,” Dubost says. Crandall, also a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is wary of “protein” and “sports” bars, too, since one package sometimes contains two portions, delivering double the calories snackers anticipate. For a less risky mid-morning snack, try Greek yogurt with an ounce of almonds, berries and chia seeds, Crandall recommends. “Planning [snacks] helps keep us on track … so you don’t have an excuse to sip or grab something else that’s ‘easier,'” she says.
Pretzels
Snacks don’t get any more classic than pretzels. And while the twists are typically healthier than potato chips, even whole-grain pretzels are too low in fiber and protein to keep you satisfied. “Calories [in pretzels] can quickly add up,” particularly if they’re filled with peanut butter or chocolate, Dubost says. If it’s the savory flavor you crave, try cottage cheese with cherry tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar, one of Crandall’s favorites. Including fruits and vegetables in snacks, she says, “is a great way to increase consumption of these low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods packed with vitamins and minerals.”
Almonds
Almonds make plenty of “best snacks” lists, and for good reason: They have the right mix of fiber and protein to satiate you, and they’re also a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat and vitamin E. But it’s easy to go overboard and unknowingly eat a snack with the calorie content of a meal. “Before you know it,” Sheth says, “your heart-healthy snack can cost you 500 calories.” Practice portion control by measuring out your almonds first; a serving size is a quarter cup, or about 23 almonds. “Being mindful of portions is the key to enjoying snacks without blowing up your calorie budget and to avoid unexpected weight gain,” Sheth says.
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Are These Healthy Snacks Making You Fat? originally appeared on usnews.com
