Healthy “Junk Food” Snacks | A Dietitian’s Rules for Choosing Healthier Options

Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.

Today I’m going to be walking you through my rules for choosing healthy “junk food” snacks and how to navigate the grocery store.

You’ve probably heard the advice, shop the perimeter of the store and avoid all the packaged food in the middle. And sure, unprocessed whole foods should ideally make up the bulk of your diet. But for most busy working folks, this is BS advice that fails to accommodate how most people eat and shop.

I’m a realistic RD and also very busy women myself, and I am vehemently against fearmongering packaged food. So today I’m going to walk you through some key categories and help you understand what I ideally look for in healthy “junk food” snacks.

I want to point out that snacks or foods that don’t meet all my criteria are not bad. Sometimes the “best” option is one that ticks only one of my boxes. Sometimes it will tick none of the boxes and the “best” option is the one that’s on sale or that I’m craving.  Price and pleasure are important and valid choice determinants too. But when choices can be freely made, these are some things I look for in the store.

HEALTHY JUNK FOOD SNACKS #1: CRACKERS

I’ve never met a cracker I didn’t like, but let me show you what makes a cracker a dietitian’s fave. So first of all, let’s talk ingredients. The first ingredient should be a whole grain like wheat or oat, or if it’s gluten free or grain free, a nutrient-dense base like nuts or seeds. And we will always give bonus points for any nutritious additions like flax, chia, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, crushed nuts, etc, all of which will help bump up the satiety factor, and hunger crushing compounds.

For the nutritional aspect, I like to think about the rule of threes. In an ideal world, I like to see at least 3 grams of fibre, 3 grams of protein, and less than 3 grams of sugar per serving. And I’m looking specifically for added sugars, not total carbohydrates which we would expect would be much higher in a grain-based cracker. Here are some of my faves:

Marys Gone Crackers- Mary’s are one of the OG dietitian-approved crackers. They have a super simple ingredient list, they’re pretty easy to find in most stores, and they have lots of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. 

Hippie Snacks Almond Crisps – Hippie Snacks almond crisps have almonds as the first ingredient, plus they have banana bread flavour that is crazy delicious too, but these have an impressive 5 grams of protein, and they’re thin and crunchy.

Nud Everything Flax Crackers – I really like the flavour of these, and they’re jam packed with nutritious ingredients with 5 g each of protein and fibre, and lots of healthy fats.

Triscuit Low Sodium – Triscuit doesn’t meet all my criteria, but if you don’t like all the nuts and seeds and you just want a simple inexpensive cracker,  these are simple and nutritious. I always have these on hand.

Crunchmaster Protein Snack Crackers- for my Costco lovers, these have 5 g protein, 3 g fibre, and they are absolutely crunchy.

HEALTHY JUNK FOOD SNACKS #2: CEREAL

Anyone who knows me knows I am a cereal fiend. It is my lifelong adhd fixation and my favorite healthy “junk food” snacks. Sometimes what I do is mix a more nutritious cereal like what we’re about to go through with a more fun cereal so I get the satisfaction of whatever I’m craving, with the power to keep me full.

So first of all, again, I’m looking for whole grains, or legumes with a special shoutout to wheat bran which has unique benefits for regularity and gut health. I am generally looking for at least 4 grams of fibre, 3 grams of protein, and less than 9 grams of added sugar. The more sugar there is, the higher my expectation for the fibre, so these two things need to do a little dance for it to present like a nutritious choice. So these are some of my staples:

All Bran Flakes- call me a grandma but look luck prying my all bran flakes out of my 37 year old hands. These are a classic for a reason. I always have all bran flakes in my house because it has just a hint of sweetness, and pack 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre per serving.

Grape Nut Flakes- Grape nut flakes are similar to all bran, with a super simple ingredient list and also 5 grams protein and 4 grams fibre.

Puffins- Anyone who knows me, knows that Puffins are one of my favourite cereals of all time and I think they’re a good beginner “healthy” cereal because they don’t taste branny. But I love them because they have a whole 6 grams of fibre and only 6 grams of added sugar per serving, so these are great for the kiddos too. 

Love Grown Power O’s- Love grown power O’s are a great one for mixing with a sweeter cereal. They’re made with just beans, brown rice, salt, and vitamins, with an impressive 6 grams protein , 5 g fibre and no added sugar.

Kashi Organic Autumn Wheat- I grew up in a British home eating those huge tasteless shredded wheat bricks that required so much sugar to make palatable, if you know, you know. So the Kashi organic wheat cereal tastes amazing to me, plus they have with 7 grams each of protein and fibre and only three ingredients. Glorious. Just glorious.

HEALTHY JUNK FOOD SNACKS #3: FROZEN PIZZA

Okay kids let’s talk frozen pizza because door dash these days is getting tragically expensive and Mama still needs her no cook night. So not surprisingly, a thin crust pie is typically your best bet because it’s going to give you more topping bang for your refined carb buck, so to speak.

There are a lot of interesting pie crusts now to explore with added nutrition benefits, some whole grain, legume-based, and veggie-based are now more commonplace. I also typically go for either a simple margarita that you can then add your own veggies and protein to, or something that has vegetables added as well. A lot of meat-topped pies just add a lot of sodium and saturated fat, so you’re better off just throwing on some leftover chicken or whatever you have on hand. Also, since frozen food is typically very high in salt, I try to look for something under 750 mg of sodium per serving.

As for the rest of the nutrition, go for a pie of around 300 kcal per serving or less, with at least 10 grams of protein, 2 grams of fibre, and less than 4 grams of added sugar. Sauces can be an unexpected source of added sugars in pizza, so its something to keep an eye on. Lets take a looksy at some faves:

Banza margarita- Banza now makes a margarita pizza that has a chickpea based crust which is why it has an impressive 16 grams of protein and 7 grams of fibre per serving.

Newmans Own Thin Crust Harvest Vegetable- Newmans Own makes a variety of thin crust pizzas that are pretty readily available including their harvest vegetable with 11 grams of protein and only 1 gram of added sugar. They also make a cauliflower crust version which has an extra gram of fibre if you’re looking for gluten free.

Amy’s Spinach Pizza- Amy’s has been around for a long time, and I think their products are really good. And their spinach pizza has 12 g of protein, 2 grams, of fibre and just 2 grams of added sugar.

Alex’s Awesome Sourdough Mushroom- I have seen a bunch of ads for this pizza by Alex’s Awesome Sourdough but I haven’t tried it yet. But the crust is sourdough-based which we love since the slow fermentation process generally makes the nutrients more bioavailable and easier to digest. This mushroom one also has 12 g protein, 5 g fiber, and no added sugars, and they also make a vegan version too.

Caulipower Veggie- I’m not usually a fan of cauliflower masquerading as carbs, but Caulipower does make some good products that are pretty readily available now, especially for our gluten free friends. And their veggie pizza has 11 grams of protein and 3 grams of fibre per serving.

HEALTHY JUNK FOOD SNACKS #4: SNACK BARS

Okay, so there are lots of subcategories of snack bars, there are those that are straight up protein bars and those that are designed for athletes needing fast energy. My criteria for those would be really different because in the former I would be mostly looking for almost a full dose of protein, and in the latter, I’d expect to see a lot more fast-burning carbs. But when you’re looking for a simple balanced snack bar that is physically satisfying and delicious, that can help get you from one meal to the next, this is my general criteria. 

First of all, I would be trying to stick to under 6 grams of added sugar per bar, with most of the carbs, if not all of the carbs coming from whole food sources like dried fruit over syrups. I’d want at least 5 grams of protein, 3 grams of fibre, and ideally, some whole food healthy fats from things like nuts, seeds, nut butter, hemp, chia, and flax. And here are some of my go tos:

RX Bar- RX bars are a great fairly accessible option that you can find in most stores. These have a really short ingredient list of just dates, nuts, egg whites and flavours with around 12 grams of protein and 5 grams of fibre. These bars are higher in sugars, but these come from a natural whole food source like dates..

Skout Organic Bars- These Skout bars are definitely one of the best options out there. I love them for me and the kids because they’re made with dates, nuts, or seeds, and freeze-dried fruit with no added sugars, 5 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein each. 

Kind Minis- Kind has a lot of really delicious bars packed with different nuts and other delicious things. But when I need a little wee snack, I love their minis. They have under 100 calories, 3 grams each of fibre and protein and 2 grams of added sugar.

Made with Local Bars- I discovered these years ago when they first launched and I’m so proud that this company has really taken off.   These have a really simple ingredient list, with 7 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre per bar, and they’re really delicious.

Nakd Bars- I first discovered these in a UK country gas station, and I think they’re really good. They have an ingredient list a lot like RX bars without the eggs making them fully vegan, they’re basically just dried fruit, nuts, salt, and flavour, with 5 grams of protein and 2-3 grams of fibre per bar.

Larabar- Larabar is another option that’s pretty easy to find. They have minis and full-sized bars, made with just dates, fruit, nuts and flavour. A full-sized bar has about 5 grams of protein, 4 grams of fibre and 4 grams of added sugar.

HEALTHY JUNK FOOD SNACKS #5: CRUNCHY SNACKS

I’m never gonna tell you to give up on your favourite chips, but there are a lot of innovative new chip-like snacks that offer some additional benefits for the obligatory crunch. So generally what I’m looking for is something that is whole grain or legume-based, with less than 15% of your DV for sodium. And basically we’re going back to the rule of threes, at least 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of fibre, and less than 3 grams of added sugar. Some of these new chip like products will be higher in protein or fibre but not both, so if that’s the case, I would want to see at least 6 grams of whichever is the focus nutrient. Here are some of my favourite crunchy snacks:

Hippeas Nacho Vibes – These Hippeas nachos are chickpea flour based and fully vegan with 3 grams each of fibre and protein.  

Peacasa Chickpea chips – These Peacasa chips are also chickpea based, and the honey dijon is elite, but these have an impressive 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre per serving.

Lesser Evil Himalayan Popcorn – Anyone who knows me knows I basically keep this company in business. And they have lots of puffs and other snacky foods too but I am forever a fan of their simple Himalayan popcorn which tastes so buttery and salty but it’s actually fully vegan with 4 grams of fibre and 2 grams of protein per 3 cups. And let’s be real I eat way more than that per sitting.

Iwon Protein Puffs –These Iwon protein puffs are also pretty good with an impressive 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fibre per serving.

Harvest Snaps Peas- These crispy peas are a staple in my house, I can even find them at my local dollar store for super cheap. These are literally made of peas, and they have an impressive 9 grams of protein and 7 grams of fibre per serving. Awesome for kiddos too.

BOTTOM LINE

A reminder that packaged foods that don’t meet these criteria are not BAD. They just might not be as nutritious or keep you satiated as long as healthy “junk food” snacks. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t eat them if we love them. This is simply to serve as a guideline for what to look for when you choosing snack foods to incorporate more often into your daily diet.

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What are some of your favorite healthy “junk food” snacks? Leave me a comment below with some of your favourite brands in these categories!

Updated on August 25th, 2024