All-Star Snacks

Snacks.  A very important part of a healthy lifestyle and down right critical if you have children.  We all know that it is a good idea to have a couple of healthy snacks during the day, but we get busy and it is so easy to forget.  Amazingly, my children never seem to forget...  With all of the options out there, it is important to give a critical eye to what you are choosing for yourself and for your children.  I am continually astounded at the amount of sugar that is hidden in snacks.  Have you ever taken a look at how many grams of sugar are in those so called "fruit" gummies or those chocolate goldfish?  What about that "super healthly" yogurt with all those fun characters and delicous looking pieces of fruit on it?  Did you know that 4 grams of sugar is the equivalent of eating a teaspoon of sugar?  And what is the serving size?  Do you really just eat one serving at a snack?  The truth is that there are some fantastic and delicious options out there to keep us all happy, whether you are 1, 4, 6, or 66 years old.  In fact, I was just reading Parents Magazine today and there was an article that talked about 2011 Parents 25 best snacks.  Unfortunately they did not have a link to the article online, but I wanted to give you some of the top picks, and specifically the ones that I thought had potential as great choices.  Many of them I have not seen or tried, but I certainly plan to over the next month or so.  If you have the chance to try any of them or already use some of them, please give your thoughts.  They split it into categories of "Grainy Goodness", Fruits & Veggies", "Dairy Smarts" and "Meat, Nuts & Beans".  There were two extra categories that I especially liked including "Classic Choices" and "Mom Munchies".  Here are the products and comments:

Grainy Goodness

• Late July Organic Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips (120 cal, 5 g fat for 13) - Made in nut-free facilities and contain whole grains like quinoa and amaranth.  They pack Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.
• Cascadian Farm Organic Oatmeal Raisin Kid-sized Bars (70 cal, 2 g fat each) - Small fiber-rich bars are ideal no-mess snack.
• Tate's Bake Shop Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Cookies (80 cal, 4 g fat each) - Every kid and parent in the test group raved about these treats made with whole-grain flour and dark chocolate chips.  At 2 in., the cookie's size is just right.
• Thomas 100% Whole Wheat Bagel Thins (110 cal, 1 g fat each) - About 1/2 as thick as grocery store bagels, they're the perfect portion for kids and conveniently presliced.  5 grams each.

Fruits and Veggies

• Dole Ready-Cut Fruit Strawberries, Peaches and Bananas (70 cal, 0 g per 1/2 cup) - Stash this flavorful medley in your freezer for when you unexpectedly run out of fresh fruit.  Tasters loved it whipped into frothy smoothie or stirred in to low-fat yogurt.
• Funky Monkey Applemon (40 cal, 0 g fat per pack) - Although the mini bags of freeze-dried fruit are not sweetened, kids treated them like candy. 
• Tang's Natural Vegetable Whole Wheat Dumplings (110 cal, 3 g for 3) - Kids didn't even notice that these were made from whole-wheat dough or stuffed with cabbage, scallions, and carrots.
• GoGo Squeez Applesauce (50 cal, 0 g fat each) - Open, squeeze, and slurp - that's how kids polished off these portable applesauce packets.  Of the five flavors, they preferred the two that are not sweetened with juice or sugar - Apple Apple and Apple Cinnamon.
• Alexia Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries with Seasoned Salt (115 cal, 7 g fat per 1/2 cup) - French fries as a snack?  You betcha if they're made from vitamin A-rich spuds.  Kids raved about the checkerboard shampe, while moms liked the slightly spicy kick.

Dairy Smarts

• Frigo Cheese Heads Fit and Fun Lovers Natural Cheese (60-70 cal, 3-5 g fat each) - Let your child choose which high-calcium, reduced-fat string cheese she wans from this pack:  the white mozzarella or the speckled Colby Jack.
• Kozy Shack Cowrageous! Pudding (100 cal, 1 g fat each) - Thanks to low-fat milk and a smidge of sugar, this kid version is 40 calories lighter than some packaged puddings.  All three flavors (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry) are fortified with vitamin A and D and pack 3 grams of fiber.

Meats, Nuts, and Beans

• Jif Natural Peanut Butter Spread (80 cal, 8 g fat for 1 Tbs.) - If you kid thinks its gross when natural PB separates, try this trans-fat free spread.  It contains a small amount of palm oil, so you never need to stir.
• Earth's Best Kidz Baked Popcorn Chicken (120 cal, 3 g fat for 8) - THe coating is whole grain, the chicken breast is antibiotic-free, and "they're fun to pop in your mouth", according to one 8-yr-old snacker.  Tasty from the oven or microwave.
• Bear Naked Peak Energy Trail Mix Cranberry Almond (70 cal, 4 g fat for 4 Tbs.) - Besides the berries, it's packed with raisins, walnuts, oats, almonds, and seeds.  One-quarter cup provides 4-to-8-year-olds with 20 percent of the iron they need for the day.
• Tribe Origins Hummus Tomato and Veggie (70 cal, 6 g fat for 2 Tbs.) - We accidentally had this flavor - packed with dried tomatoes and carrots - sent to our preschool tasters rather than the plain version.  But much to our surprise, they loved dipping pretzels in it.

Classic Choices

• Smuckers Simply Fruit - It is sweetened with fruit juice, not sugar, and has fewer calories than typical jam.
• Muir Glen Organic Mild Salsa - Doesn't have any added sugar and tastes delicious.
• Triscuits Reduced Fat - They taste amazing and have only three ingredients:  Whole-grain wheat, oil and salt.

Mom Munchies

• Terra Thai Basil Curry Exotic Vegetable Chips (90 cal, 8 g fat for 15) - flavorful but not overpowering, these curry-seasoned sweet potatoes, Japanese squash, and taro chips count as a serving of veggies.
• YoGreek Yogurt + Crunch (140 cal, 1 g fat each) - For a snack with substance, try this yogurt and granola combo.  It has 11 grams of protein (about twice as much as regular yogurt) and whole grains that will help fill you up.
• Seaport Edemame Soybeans in Pods (90 cal, 3 g fat each) - Microwave these single-serve packets for three minutes, and you have a hot snack loaded with protein, iron and zinc.
• Wholly Guacamole 100-calorie Snack Packs (100 cal, 8 g fat each) - Creamy, delicious guac comes in a single-serve squeeze packet for freshness and portion control.  Go for the original or spicy flavor.
• 34 Degree Whole Grain Crispbread (65 cal, 0 g fat for 8) - This low-calorie, diet-friendly choice with a slight cheesy flavor "totally rocks," says one mom.

As I said, there are very few of these that I have actually tried, so my jury is still out.  But I am certainly looking forward to reading some labels and doing some taste-testing of my own.  It is not always possible, but I like to try to eat snacks that include some protein and fiber (to make you feel full and last for a while) and obviously as many nutrients as possible, while minimizing the sugar.  If you stay focused on combining some great whole foods, you can make this happen easily.

• Hummus with carrots, celery, bell pepper strips, pretzel crisps or pita chips made with whole grains
• Whole grain mini bagels or bagel-thins with a smear of peanut butter and apple slices
• Lightly salted edemame (out of the pod) - I love the steam-in-bag HEB brand
• Plain low-fat yogurt or greek yogurt with fresh berries
• Veggies such as carrots, celery, button mushrooms and bell pepper strips dipped in chunky mild salsa
• Dehydrated apple chips (easy to make yourself in an inexpensive dehydrator)
• Low-fat mozzarella string-cheese and yellow cherry tomatoes
• Oven-roasted sweet potato chips (slice sweet potato thin, brush olive oil on both sides and roast until crisp)
• Low-fat cottage cheese and fresh or frozen and thawed sliced peaches
• Whole Grain Cheese Goldfish
• Single-serve boxes of raisins
• Kashi TLC Soft-baked cereal bars (little sugar than I like, but great on the go)
• Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• Fresh pear or apple and some chunks of flavorful cheese (the good stuff, not those sandwich slices)

CHEERS!