By: Tayla Carter, MS, RD, LDN, Registered Dietitian II, Signature Healthcare
Snacks can be a great way to hold you over if you get hungry between meals. With so many snack options available, you may find yourself wondering which snacks are healthy choices. Many foods marketed as snacks, such as chips, cookies, candies, and other highly processed sweet and salty foods, may not be the best choice to keep you full and help you reach your health goals.
These foods can be high in added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, and lower in desirable nutrients like fiber, protein, healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals. Also, foods that are lower in fiber, protein, and healthy fat do not keep you full for as long, and you may find yourself getting hungry again soon.
I recommend pairing foods together that contain at least two of the following food groups for a healthy, balanced snack that will help keep you full and satisfied: fiber-rich carbohydrates, protein, or healthy fat. Pairing fiber-rich carbohydrate foods with proteins and/or healthy fats also helps to balance and stabilize blood sugar.
Check out some of my favorite snack pairings below
- Greek yogurt with fruit and granola
- Vegetables or whole-grain crackers with hummus
- Cheese with whole-grain crackers
- Apple with peanut butter
- Slice of whole-grain toast with mashed avocado
- Smoothie with frozen fruit and plain Greek yogurt
Don’t see something you like? Make it your own!
Build your own balanced snack by pairing foods from the categories below, and you should have a great snack that will keep you satisfied to get through your day:
| Fiber-Rich Carbohydrates | Protein and Healthy Fats |
| Fruit, such as apples, bananas, berries, oranges, grapes, etc. Vegetables, such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc. Whole-grain crackers Whole-grain bread or pita Rice cakes Air-popped popcorn Oats Whole-grain cereal Granola Dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, apricots, mango | Nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, etc. Nut butter, such as peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter Greek yogurt Cottage cheese Avocado or guacamole Seeds, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, etc. Hard-boiled eggs Turkey jerky or low-sodium deli turkey Cheese slices or cheese stick Canned tuna Hummus |
Check out advice from the USDA on success with snacking.
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