The Best Healthy Snacks to Satisfy Your Cravings
Afternoon snack attacks often come in the form of an intense hankering for junk food. Good news: Nowadays plenty of healthier packaged snacks are available, like these lower-calorie options for common cravings. Read on to find just the thing to satisfy your snack attack.
Sweet & Crunchy
I Heart Keenwah Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Puffs
1 serving = 140 calories
A handful of these crunchalicious puffs give you the same vibe as a peanut butter cookie, with a healthy upgrade. Peanut butter and dark chocolate coat puffed quinoa for a sweet snack with half the sugar and 50 fewer calories than that cookie.
Sweet & Frozen
Kinds Frozen Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Bar
1 serving = 190 calories
With a creamy dair-free frozed almond-tapioca base and crunchy topping, this icy treat gives a lot of sensory satisfaction. Plus, it will save you 100 calories and 8g of sugar compared to a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar.
Salty & Crunchy
Back to Nature Gluten-Free Adzuki Bean Sea Salt Crackers
1 serving = 120 calories
Also called red mung beans, adzuki beans make the flavor of crackers nutty. Plus, they have three times more fiber than a 160-calorie bag of potato chips.
Chocolatey
Farm & Oven Beet Dark Chocolate Bakery Bites
1 serving = 150 calories
When you can satisfy a chocolate craving and get some vegetables too, all is right with the world. Beets, zucchini and even a dose of added probiotics healthy up these sweet morsels. Compared with snacking on a brownie, you'll save 40 calories and get a hefty hit of filling fiber too.
Related: The 10 Best Snacks for Weight Loss
Cheesy
Shrewd Food Baked Cheddar Protein Crisps
1 serving = 90 calories
Get your cheese fix on for a third of the fat and 40% less calories than what you'd get from a serving of the cheese puffs you were eyeing. A snack-size bag of these protein-packed crisps is full of sharp-Cheddary punch (and 20 percent of your recommended daily value for calcium).
This story originally appeared in EatingWell Magazine January/February 2020.