Snack Product Review

I am happy to report that yours truly will be moving on in the program, along with the rest of my fellow classmates! Great job everyone! I look forward to our seemingly never-ending academic endeavors.

This cold weather and gray sky MUST turn around soon. Perhaps it's the winter blahs combined with academic stress but I need to shake this blue funk. Anyone up for a trip to Cuba? That should turn my spirits around. Some sunshine, some beaches, some mountains, some "socialism"........ how could anything go wrong? (cough cough)

Anyway, let's talk about snacks.....

Not sure about the rest of you but I am an official "snackaholic" and I am on a constant quest to find tasty, high nutrient, low calorie, and crunchy snacks. If I had a dollar for every minute I have spent reading snack food product nutrition labels, I wouldn't be writing this blog and we would all be relaxing at my luxury compound in the Galapagos.

When it comes to snacking, there are some snacks which are better than others. Years of research have been put into some of these little treasures and as always, you want to make sure you pay attention to the serving size. One of the things I like about the following snacks is that they actually have decent portion sizes compared to " 7 Doritos = 1 serving." Who on earth eats seven Doritos and feels satisfied?!?! Here are my crunchy faves:

Soy Crisps Although I could eat an entire bag (guilty), these little dudes give you a reasonable serving size, are high in soy protein, high in fiber and low in calories as well as low in fat.

Raw Almonds Although a serving of almonds is good for your health on several levels, you should be careful not to eat too many because they are still high in fat and calories. Granted, they predominantly contain good fat, a small amount can still really add up.

Low Fat Triscuits Very filling serving size, full of fiber and low in fat.

Orville Reddenbockers Light Microwave Popcorn 100 calorie bags A little high on the sodium side but very filling/crunchy, low in fat and a decent amount of dietary fiber.

Low Sodium Dry Roasted Peanuts Same vibe as almonds

Barbara's Snackimal Crackers For the sweet tooth, these have no refined sugars, gluten free, decent serving size, low fat and a little bit of dietary fiber.

Kashi Granola Bars--Dark Chocolate Walnut/Coconut Kashi is a gift from the Nutrition Dios. This particular bar is lowest in calories of their granola bar line and full of fiber, high in protein, and no refined sugars.

Cereals: Kashi Heart to Heart and Cascadian Farms Clifford Crunch Of all cereals on the market, these are two of the best in terms of largest serving with lowest calories, high protein, high fiber, lowest sugar (and no refined sugars). I love to put a serving in a bag and snack on it throughout the day.