During my recent travels, I came across a heartbreaking scene: An obese couple handing their cute vibrant little girl a full size candy bar to snack on. The gesture, I’m sure, was meant to reward the girl with a treat to show their love and affection for her good behavior (we were waiting a very long time for our bags to appear on the baggage claim carousel). Watching the action, my gut wrenched as I thought of the girl’s likely future: the same obesity that plagued her parents… unless she makes some serious changes in her eating habits. Already, this cute little girl was starting to show signs of a protruding belly.
Snacking is not bad; it’s what you snack on that counts. When we’re traveling, there are a number of healthy snacks that can fit into our on-the-go schedule. According to the McKinley Health Center of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, snacks should be about 100 to 200 calories for individuals trying to maintain their weight or lose weight.
Here are 5 quick ideas for snacks in the 100 to 200 range:
1. NUTS OR SEEDS. Nuts are full of vitamins and minerals from Vitamin B, to iron, to zinc and more, depending on the nut. They are high in fat, but most of the fat is unsaturated. One of my personal favorites: wasabi-covered almonds. The spicy flavor of the wasabi and the creaminess and crunch of the almonds are a very satisfying snack combination.
According to Nutnutrition.com , almonds contain Vitamin E, peanuts provide folate, and cashews provide copper – to name the vitamins and minerals in a couple of the nuts. No matter what you choose, stick to a one-ounce serving to keep your munchies in the “snack” calorie range: Roughly 28 peanuts (170 calories), 22 almonds (170 calories), or 49 pistachios (160 calories). For seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower, the recommended serving size is one tablespoon at approximately 160 calories.
2. FRUIT & CHEESE. For a twist on a classic pairing, try combining freeze dried fruits or fruit leather with a serving of string cheese for an easy, tasty and healthy snack.
Freeze dried fruits, such as those from Brothers-All-Natural. They come in single serving sizes of freeze dried apples, bananas, pears, pineapples or strawberries. Calories range from 30 to 70 per serving, depending on the fruit.
Fruit leather, such as those from Stretch Island Fruit Co, come packaged in single servings. They have organic and conventional versions and come in a variety of flavors ranging from apple to cherry to mango and more. Their “leathers” have all natural fruit and juice ingredients, no added sugar, and range in calorie from 30 to 45 a serving with zero fat.
String cheese such as Organic Valley’s “Stringles”, a single serving of organic cheese for 80 calories.
3. GRANOLA BAR. These can be a great grab-and-go snack, but you do have to read the nutrition and ingredient information. Several brands out there have high calorie content or contain undesirable ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated / partially hydrogenated fats.
One brand I really like is Kashi – their foods are high in fiber and quality ingredients, their website provides detailed information on product calories and ingredients plus information on healthy eating. Also, Kashi is usually easy to find at grocery stores and in bulk buys like at CostCo. They offer a number of different granola bars from Cherry Dark Chocolate to Peanut Peanut Butter to Pumpkin Spice Flax and more. Granola bars range in calories from 120 to 180.
4. LATTE. Since Starbucks is fairly easy to find in many locations, this can be a quick snack pickup. The non-fat and soy versions of the cafe latte are the most calorie-friendly of the lot. NOTE: If you’re aiming to sleep or you’re under a fair amount of stress, you may also want to choose the decaf version of the latte, since caffeine can interfere with sleep and make you feel anxious.
According to Starbucks, here are the calorie totals for their 16-oz “Grande”size:
–Non-fat milk latte – 130 calories
–Soy latte – 170 calories
–Low fat (2%) milk latte – 190 calories
–Whole milk latte – 220 calories
5. BANANA – Nature’s perfect on-the-go snack. According to the American Dietetic Association, bananas are high in: 1) potassium, which helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke, 2) vitamin C, which supports the immune system and provides antioxidants, and 3) fiber, which has been linked to reduced risk of cancer and heart disease. Recommended serving size is a medium banana (seven to eight inches long) and has 105 calories and three grams of fiber.
Additional resources on healthy snacking: