Download Healthy Snacks List

GOOD-TO-GO Snacks
Snacks may not seem like they add up to much, but the truth is, they are a
very important part of your child’s diet and overall health too. Snacks help to
give us energy between meals. They fuel our brains and give us the nutrients we
need for our bodies to function at their very best. Even though individually
they are smaller than regular meals, the way we snack day-to-day can make a
large impact on our health and performance.
The key to a healthy snack: Pack in as many healthful nutrients as you can
with as few “extras” as possible. Healthy nutrients include vitamins, minerals,
water, and healthy sources of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. “Extras”
account for added sugars, transfats, artificial sweeteners, and sodium. The best
way to choose healthy snacks is to shop the perimeter of your grocery store.
This is typically where you will find the more healthful, less processed foods.
These foods include fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, and healthy protein
sources. It is best to limit the amount of pre-packaged and highly-processed
snacks we eat as they are usually high in at least one of the “extras.” These
types of foods may seem tempting because of their convenience, but the fact
of the matter is, we end up paying for them over time with our health and our
pocket books.
To get the most out of your “GOOD-TO-GO” snack list, try to pair at least
one food from the fruit, vegetable, or grain list with a food from the dairy or the
protein list. Remember, choosing real, unprocessed foods is usually the best
way to go, but some examples of packaged snacks that fall within the
parameters of the Missouri Eat Smart Guidelines for snacks are listed below. This
is not an all-inclusive list, so be sure to read labels when choosing snacks. Be
creative and have fun!
1
GOOD-TO-GO Snack List:
Grains
When choosing foods from this section look for whole grain varieties. It is
recommended to make at least half of your grain choices whole grains. Also,
beware of any added sugars. According to the Missouri Eat Smart Guidelines,
aside from fruit without added sugar, we should try to choose snacks with less
than 9 grams of sugar per 100 Calories. Missouri Eat Smart Guidelines also
recommends no more than 35% of Calories from fat (except for cheese, nuts,
nut butters, and seeds). Choose grain products with at least 2 grams of fiber per
serving.
 Dry Cereals
 Best Choice: Corn Crisps, Happy-O’s, Honey Nut Crisps, Rice Crisps,
and Wheat Crisps.
 Cascadian Farm: Multigrain Squares, Cinnamon Crunch, Raisin Bran,
Hearty Morning, and Honey Nut O’s varieties.
 General Mills: Cheerios, Cinnamon Burst Cheerios, Honey Nut
Cheerios, Multigrain Cheerios, Honey Kix, Original Kix, and Apple
Cinnamon Cheerios, and Wheaties.
 Kellogg’s: Rice Krispies, Crispix,
 Malt-o-Meal: Honey Nut Scooters and Oat Blenders
 Post: Honey Bunches of Oats in Original, Fruit Blends, Pecan, and
Almond.
 Quaker: Life Cereal in Original, Cinnamon, and Maple & Brown
Sugar. Life Crunch Time Cereal in Strawberry and Green Apple.
Oatmeal Squares Hint of Honey & Hint of Brown Sugar.
 Total: Whole Grain.
 Granola Bars
 Cascadian Farm: Chewy Granola Bars in Peanut Butter and
Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Almond, Dark Chocolate
Cranberry, Vanilla Almond Cherry varieties and Crunchy Oats and
Honey varieties.
 Kashi: Chewy Granola Bars in Trail Mix, Dark Chocolate, and Honey
Almond Flax varieties. Soft Baked Squares in Almond or Chocolate.
2









 Nature Valley: Crunchy Granola Bars in Oats & Honey, Peanut
Butter, Apple Crisp, Cinnamon, Maple and Brown Sugar, Pecan
Crunch, Oats and Dark Chocolate varieties
 Try making your own homemade granola bar recipe and have your
kids help*
Granola trail mixes
Whole grain muffins*
Honey graham crackers
Mini whole grain bagels
Rice cakes
 Fit and Active Brand or Quaker Brand: Lightly salted variety
Sliced whole grain bread
Whole grain crackers
 Kashi: Heart to Heart Whole Grain Crackers in Original and Roasted
Garlic. Snack Crackers in Original 7 Grain, Honey Sesame, and
Toasted Asiago varieties.
 Dane: Breton Original Crackers, Breton Multigrain Crackers, Breton
Sesame Crackers, and Breton Zesty Veggie Crackers.
 Wheat Thins: Hint of Salt, Sundried Tomato Basil, 5 grain Fiber Selects,
and Flat Breads.
 Triscuits: Original, Sea Salt and Black Pepper Brown Rice, Red Bean
Brown Rice, Rosemary, Roasted Garlic, and Cracked Pepper.
 Wellington: Stone Wheat Crackers.
Whole wheat pita wedges
Whole wheat tortillas
3
Vegetables
Variety is key when selecting veggies. Try to choose a good variety of colorful
vegetables. Each vegetable offers its very own set of
healthy nutrients.







Bell pepper rings
Broccoli
Carrot or cucumber sticks
Cauliflower
Cherry tomatoes
Sugar snap peas
Try making homemade kale chips
Fruits
Aim for variety in the fruits that you choose. If choosing canned fruits or fruit
cups, be sure that they are packaged in either their own juice or plain water.
Avoid fruits canned or packaged in syrups which add nothing but unnecessary
sugars. If choosing fruit juices, be sure to select varieties
without any sugar added, and remember limit juice
intake to 4-8 ounces per day. Although juice may
contain some healthy nutrients, it is also very high in
sugar and lacks the healthy fiber that is naturally in
whole fruit.









Apple sauce cups with no added sugar
Apple Slices
Bananas
Berries
Diced peaches in 100% fruit juice.
Dried fruits such as raisins or dried apricots without any added sugar
Grapes
Kiwis
Mandarin orange cups in 100% fruit juice.
4
 Orange or tangerine sections
 Pineapples, fresh or canned in their own juice
 Strawberries
Dairy
Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium. It is recommended to choose
low-fat varieties in order to avoid excessive saturated fat intake. These products
need to be kept cold throughout the day. Be sure to send your child with an
ice pack in their lunch box to keep these products at a safe temperature or
check with your child’s teacher to find out if refrigeration is available if bringing
these foods.




Low-fat cheeses: sliced or string
Low-fat cottage cheese snack cups
Mini yogurt cups
Skim-2% milk
Healthy Protein Sources
According to Missouri Eat Smart Guidelines, except for cheese, nuts, seeds, and
nut butters, snacks should have less than 35% of total Calories coming from fat.
Many protein sources need to be kept cold throughout the day. Be sure to
send your child with an icepack in their lunch boxes that will keep these foods
at a safe temperature or check with your child’s teacher to find out if
refrigeration is available.







Bean Dip
Hard Boiled Eggs
Hummus
Peanut Butter
Pistachio Nuts
Pumpkin Seeds
Sliced Turkey or Other Lean Meats
5
Examples of healthy snack combinations:
















½ peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Apple Slices with peanut butter.
Carrot or cucumber sticks with hummus dip.
Celery with peanut butter and raisins to make ants on a log
Granola bar with one cup of low-fat milk.
Healthy homemade muffins with one cup of low-fat milk.
Healthy homemade trail mix.
Honey graham crackers with milk or yogurt.
Low-fat cottage cheese with pineapple chunks.
Mini bagels with peanut butter.
One slice of cheese on top of a rice cake.
Strawberries dipped in yogurt.
Whole grain bread with peanut butter and banana slices.
Whole wheat pita wedges with bean dip.
Whole wheat tortillas with cheese or sliced lean meat for a tasty pinwheel.
Whole, fresh fruit with string cheese.
There is no end to the list of healthy snack ideas that can be imagined. Be
creative, have fun, and enjoy better health.
*Many times schools require that snacks be store-bought or prepackaged if
your child is bringing snacks for their classmates. Check with your child’s
teacher to learn about specific guidelines for shared snacks in schools.
6