Goodbye Cheetos, hello to healthy snacking

By: Jacqueline Lytle

When I think of snacks, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Kit Kats and Vanilla Wafers come to mind. Yum, right? Only 250 milligrams of sodium are clogging our arteries from one serving size of those delicious, spicy cheese crunchies, only 210 calories are being digested when we break apart that Kit Kat bar, and only 6 grams of fat are fueling our obsession with those vanilla-flavored cookies. Even after I looked up those nutrition facts, I shamelessly stuck my hand in the oversized bag of Cheetos that reside in my desk drawer.

While we all deserve a cheat day, with spring break around the corner, more likely than not, your brain is telling you ‘no.’ So, throw out those cheesy bites, smash the vanilla cookies over the trash so you can’t grab them back out later and hide the Kit Kats in your cupboard until spring break is over. Head to the grocery store and aimlessly search up and down the aisles for anything that qualifies as ‘healthy.’ Your face might resemble that of Dwight from The Office – bored and frustrated – because to you, chocolate sounds much better than granola, and salt sounds more appetizing than celery.

So, here are some easy, scrumptious, wholesome snacks you can put together and munch on throughout the school day, because healthy doesn’t have to mean horrible.

Veggies

Celery seems to be the go-to veggie snack. Celery is yummy, especially when it’s smothered in bleu cheese or peanut butter, but there are so many vegetables to choose from.

Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower or bell peppers can bring a lot of flavor and color to snack time. If you like raw veggies, try cutting some up and pairing them with your favorite dressing or dip. Hummus, made from chickpeas, is a great, healthy choice and comes in a variety of flavors, like roasted garlic, spinach and artichoke or jalapeno.

Avocados, which are technically a fruit but filled with good fats, are delicious alone or mixed with a variety of raw vegetables. Homemade guacamole is one of the easiest and yummiest snacks to make. Smash some avocados and incorporate chopped red onion, tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, a little salt and lime juice and voilà: you’ve just made a delicious, healthy snack that you can pair with some multigrain tortilla chips.

Fresh, frozen or dried fruit

Fruit is a simple snack packed with flavor and antioxidants. Fruits are naturally delicious snacks whether they are fresh, frozen or dried.

Apples, bananas and oranges make great transportable snacks because they’re yummy cold or at room temperature. If the thought of plain fruit doesn’t interest you, try mixing some together. My absolute favorite mix, which also serves as a light breakfast or dessert, is a combination of grapefruits, oranges, apples and bananas. You can also pair fruit with a yummy dip. Sliced strawberries, bananas and apples go hand-in-hand with peanut butter, hazelnut spread or a cream cheese fruit dip.

Grapes and blueberries are a fun snack that can be jazzed up by throwing them in the freezer.

Almost every fruit can be bought dried. Bananas, apricots, pineapples, cranberries, apples, strawberries, grapes and mangos are all scrumptious choices.

Yogurt

Go for any flavor. Companies, like Yoplait and Chobani, have developed almost 50 iterations of this creamy snack. If you haven’t already noticed, Greek yogurt is rapidly taking over the yogurt market.

Comparing Yoplait original strawberry yogurt with Yoplait Greek strawberry yogurt, the Greek option has more than double the protein.

If the smooth consistency doesn’t work well with your gag reflex, try adding mix-ins. These can be as simple as fresh or dried fruit and granola. Dark chocolate pieces help make this snack a light dessert as well. While many brands offer packaging that includes mix-ins, which are my favorite, fat content and calories will be higher in these than if you were to add your own.

Nuts or trail mix

If you like nuts, this may be the snack for you. Nuts are packed with protein and are a source of good fat. However, to remain healthy, you’ll have to refuse the salted option and opt for lightly salted or no salt when buying.

Pecans, pistachios, almonds, cashews, macadamias and walnuts are some of the healthiest nuts out there, but you can never go wrong with peanuts, unless you’re allergic.

For trail mix, buy a pre-mixed can, like Planters, at the grocery store or make your own mix from the large selection of nuts offered at specific stores, like Whole Foods. If you want to jazz it up, add some dried fruits and yogurt or dark chocolate chips to make a yummy trail mix.

Classes, on-campus jobs and club events can make our days at school long and dreary. Consider carrying a snack full of healthy ingredients that will help combat the midday crash you may be experiencing. Sprucing each day up with a healthy snack will not only be delicious, but it will make your body feel good.

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