Author: Bryshan Francis, University of Toronto Nutritional Sciences Candidate
Snacking is something everyone enjoys doing. Having a quick bite in-between can help keep us going during long days. This list of healthy packaged snack options is perfect for all ages and for people who are on the go during busy days.
When shopping for snacks at your local supermarket, it can be tricky to find balanced options. The following list of snacks can be found in supermarkets such as No Frills and Walmart. They each have good qualities for being healthy snacks, ranging from being rich in nutrients and good quality calories. These snacks are great to have, as they are individually packaged and easy to bring around. Also, most of these snacks come in different flavours, so feel free to choose ones to your preference!
Bars
1. Special K Nuts & Grain Cranberries & Almonds Bars
These Kellogg bars have 3g of fibre per bar, which is about 11% of our recommended daily intake of fibre in just one bar! These bars also contain nutrients such as Vitamin E, Niacin, and Manganese. Although these bars have 6g of saturated fat per bar, as a snack to each in between meals in moderation is fine.
2. President’s Choice Greek Yogurt Coated & Blueberry Granola Bars
These Greek yogurt granola bars have 6g of fibre per bar, which is about 21% of our recommended daily intake. These bars have nutrients such as iron and calcium but also have 5g of fat, 2g of which are saturated fats.
3. Kashi Seven Grain with Quinoa bars, Honey Oat Flax
These quinoa bars have 3g of fibre per bar, which is about 11% of our recommended daily intake. These bars have nutrients such as iron, thiamine, phosphorus, selenium, and manganese but also have 6g of fat, 1g of which are saturated fats.
4. NATURE VALLEY Trail Mix Mixed Berry Chewy Granola Bars
These granola bars have a low amount (3g) of fat and sodium with some amount (2g) of fibre, which makes it a great snack to have as you are not having too many unhealthy nutrients. There are also 140 calories per bar. They also have granola as a great snack.
5. Go Pure Oat Soft Baked Oatmeal Bars
These oatmeal bars have 3g of fibre, about 11% of the recommended daily intake. It also only has 3.5g of fat, which is only 5% of our recommended daily intake.
6. MADE GOOD Organic Granola Bar, Strawberry
These organic granola bars are low in fat and sugar (2.5g and 6g) and are very rich in Vitamins A, B6, C, D, E, and Thiamine! Each bar contains about 20% of the recommended daily intake of each vitamin in one bar.
7. CLIF BAR - Energy Bars - White Chocolate Macadamia Flavour
These CLIF energy bars do contain a lot of sugar (17g; 17% of daily intake) but also have a lot of fibre (5g; 18% of daily intake). These bars also have iron, vitamin E, phosphorus, and magnesium.
8. Kashi Strawberry 7 Grain Soft Baked Cereal Bars
These cereal bars have 3g of fibre per bar, which is about 11% of our recommended daily intake. These bars have nutrients such as phosphorus and manganese but also have 10g of sugar, 10% of our recommended daily intake.
Crackers
1. Good Thins Rice Multigrain Crackers
These rice crackers are a great snack to have, as they have only 1.5g of fat (2% of daily recommended intake), 130 calories per serving, and 1g of fibre. These crackers are light and do not have too much fat or salt that will not contribute a great deal to your health. Other crackers such as Finn Crisp, Breton, Triscuit, Mary’s Organic, Crunch Master, Melba, Que Pasa, Ryevita, and much more!
2. Quaker Crispy Minis
These rice cakes are a great way to have a somewhat filling snack and you can get very creative with them! They come in all sorts of favours ranging from savoury to sweet so the possibility to customize your snacks is endless. They’re low calorie (45 calories/cake), low fat and low sodium as well.
Dairy
1. NO NAME Cheese Sticks Stringable Marble
These cheese snacks are great for kids as they are fun and have 12% of our daily recommended intake of calcium! They have 2.5g of fat and only 5% of our sodium recommended daily intake per stick.
2. IOGO Drinkable yogurt Strawberry
These drinkable yogurts are great for kids due to their variety of favours and have very little sugar, 5g per bottle. Other companies such as Danone and Yoplait have similar products as well.
3. Yoplait Yogurt Tubes Strawberry
These yogurt tubes are great for kids on the go as they are very portable. They contain Vitamin D and Calcium. They only have 5g of sugar and 1g of fat per tube. Each tube has 45 calories and very low sodium.
4. Activia Probiotic Smoothie
These portable smoothies are a great snack as they have a lot of calcium (23% of our recommended intake) and have low fat and sugar, with only 100 calories a bottle.
Others
1. PC Purple Kernel Popping Corn
Purple kernels are a great snacking alternative to regular kernels, as they tend to have less fat and sodium and more fibre (5g - 18% of your daily recommended intake) per serving size. The unpopped kernels allow you to use as much or as little butter and salt for your popcorn as you wish, so there can be less compared to regular pre-made packaged popcorn.
2. Royal Nuts Deluxe Mixed Nuts Unsalted
These unsalted nuts are a great snack as they contain 4g of fibre, which is 14% of our daily recommended intake. With unsalted nuts, you do not need to worry about excess sodium intake when snacking.
3. Calbee Harvest Snaps Snapea Crisps Original
These crisp snacks are great for adults and kids, as they taste very savoury, but only have 6% of our recommended sodium intake. They also have iron, potassium, calcium and a lot of fibre (7g - 25% of our recommended intake). They do, however, have 9g of fat.
4. Maple Cranberry Overnight Oats
These overnight oats are a great way to have a nice snack on the go in the mornings, as they require very little preparation. These oats have a lot of fibre (5g - 20% of our daily recommended intake) and have potassium and iron. It is also low in fat with just 3g (5% of the daily recommended intake).
5. Packaged Seaweed
Various brands produce packaged seaweed, however, the organic roasted seaweed snack is very low in calories (30 calories per package) and has very few unhealthy nutrients, which makes it a perfect snack to eat.
6. GOGO SQUEEZ Organic Apple, Banana And Strawberry Sauce Pouches
These pouches are great for kids when travelling and they want a quick snack. They have 14% of the recommended fibre intake (4g) and have no fat. They have 9g of sugar, which is 9% of the recommended daily intake.