11 snacks that you should avoid, with healthy swaps (2024)

Healthy or unhealthy lunch

Whole foods are almost always best, but it is relatively easy to find healthier snacks even when reaching for convenience foods. Here are swaps for some popular snacks. (Katarzyna Bialasiewicz)

(KatarzynaBialasiewicz)

I'm not a big fan of absolutes. I try to steer clear of recommending that we "always" or "never" do something. I also try to avoid using finger-wagging directives like saying that you "should" or "shouldn't" do x, y or z.

Still, parents concerned about what they should - or shouldn't - feed their kids often ask for a list of don'ts. And, most often, the nutritional culprits are convenience items: Those easy-to-grab fast food items and packaged snacks that are loaded with refined carbs, added sugar and artificial food dyes, not to mention other questionable ingredients and add-ins that are best avoided.

Real, whole food is almost always more nutritious - and often cheaper. Lean proteins, vegetables and fruits (fresh or frozen), nuts and nut butters, for example, can be prepped and divvied up in zip-top bags or reusable containers for homemade "snack packs" that are perfect to pack for lunch or snack time. Less money, more nutrition.

Not everyone has the time - or makes the time - to take the extra steps for DIY meal and snack prep.

So, if you're in the mode of grab-and-go convenience items, here are 11 foods and drinks to stop packing in your kid's (and your own) lunchbox, with a healthier alternative for each one.

Yes, some of the healthier items are pricier, but consider streamlining grocery shopping by cutting back on the unnecessary, not-so-good-for-you stuff, and you can likely even things out, price-wise.

SKIP THIS: Cheetos (and Cheetos Puffs)

We already know that chips aren't nutritious. But at least if it's just plain old potato chips - potatoes, oil and salt - you know what you're getting. Cheetos, on the other hand, are a whole different story.

Not only are they essentially deep-fried cornmeal and powdered cheese with 250 to 300 mg sodium per serving, Cheetos also contain MSG (monosodium glutamate), which some people are sensitive to in large amounts, with reactions including headache, nausea, weakness and a burning sensation in the back of neck and forearms.

Cheetos get their familiar orange hue from the artificial food dye Yellow 6, which has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidneys in animal studies. The FDA has reviewed the data and concluded that Yellow 6 does not pose a significant cancer risk to humans, but I still prefer to limit unnatural ingredients such asfood dyes as much as possible.

SWAP FOR: Beanitos White Bean Mac & Cheese Crunch

With a clean ingredient list that starts with whole navy beans and includes real cheese, these crunchy-cheesy baked snacks have less sodium, twice the protein, and three times more fiber than Cheetos. And the texture isn't too far off from that of a Cheetos Puff. This makes a great Cheetos swap-out that you can feel good about feeding your family.

SKIP THIS: Froot Loops

Pretty much all sugary cereals fall into the category of "least healthy breakfast foods" for kids and adults alike, but Froot Loops are one of the worst offenders.

Sugar is the first ingredient, packing half a day's worth of sugar into a single 1-ounce serving.

Froot Loops also contain BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), a preservative that's used to prevent oils from oxidizing and becoming rancid. BHT is controversial because it's linked to an increased risk of cancer in animal studies (but also a decreased risk in some studies), and residues of BHT are found in our body fat stores. The FDA categorizes BHT as GRAS (generally recognized as safe), but other health organizations have concerns. The consumer group CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) recommends that we avoid BHT when possible.

Froot Loops also contain three different artificial food dyes: Red 40 and Blue 1, which can cause allergy-like reactions, and Yellow 6 (see Cheetos, above).

SWAP FOR: Barbara's Cinnamon Puffins

The puffy pillow-like shape and texture are similar to Cap'n Crunch; the flavor is like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Corn flour and oat flour are the first two ingredients, which means 66 percent more fiber than sugary cereals like Froot Loops, along with 40 percent less sugar and three times more protein. All of the ingredients are items that we could conceivably have in our own kitchens.

SKIP THIS: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

Kraft pulled the artificial colors from their Mac & Cheese last year, so there's nothing "bad" as an individual ingredient, but still - it's white pasta with powdered cheese sauce.

SWAP FOR: Annie's Whole Wheat Shells & Extra Cheesy Cheddar Sauce

Made with real cheese and 100 percent whole wheat pasta, Annie's Whole Grain Mac & Cheese has twice the fiber and 76 percent less sugar than Kraft Mac & Cheese.

SKIP THIS: Welch's Fruit Snacks

The images of real, whole fruit on the front of the package - combined with the claim of "Now with More Real Fruit" - make Welch's Fruit Snacks appear to be more wholesome than they really are. The reality: Welch's Fruit Snacks do contain real fruit puree, but it's blended with corn syrup, sugarand artificial food dyes Red 40 and Blue 1.

You'll also see carnauba wax in Welch's Fruit Snacks. Deemed safe by the FDA, this ingredient is added to give a glossy sheen to the gummies. In fact, it's so effective that this is the same carnauba wax you'll find in Turtle Wax (car wax) to provide a "resilient barrier of shine and protection" for our cars.

SWAP FOR: Green Plate Foods Naturally Smart Fruit Bites

There are plenty of organic or otherwise "healthful" versions of gummies, but most of these are still just some variation of sugar, only without food dyes and high fructose corn syrup. But they're still not "nutritious."

So I was happy to run across these single-serving packets of Fruit Bites by Green Plate Foods as an alternative to gummy candies. Flavors include blueberry pistachio, cherry dark chocolate, peach nectarine; each is made with just five ingredients, including real whole fruit that's sweetened with dates and juices. And with the exception of the dark chocolate, the only sugar is from naturally-occurring fruit sugars. Available locally at Whole Foods Markets.

SKIP THIS: Fruit Roll-Ups

Corn syrup, dried corn syrupand sugar are the first three ingredients. Then there's the four artificial food dyes: Red 40, Yellows 5 & 6, and Blue 1. Pretty much the opposite of what we want our kids to be consuming.

SWAP FOR: Pressed by KIND

The folks with KIND bars launched a new line called Pressed by KIND, each with just three to five ingredients, all of which we could easily have in our own kitchen: Pineapple-Banana-Apple-Kale-Spinach, or Cherry-Apple-Chia, for example. Each bar provides two full servings of fruit with zero added sugar. Available online and at Target stores.

SKIP THIS: Yoplait Go-Gurt, Yoplait Original or Yoplait Light

Go-Gurt has 4.5 times more sugar than protein. It also has other stuff besides just yogurt, like modified corn starch and carrageenan. Yoplait Original has three times more sugar than protein. Even Yoplait Light has twice as much sugar as protein, plus it's artificially sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose, and it's artificially colored with Red 40 and Blue 1.

SWAP FOR: Siggi's Yogurt Tubes, Chobani Simply 100, and Oikos Triple Zero by Dannon

Siggi's Yogurt Tubes have more than twice the protein, half the carbs and nearly half the sugar, compared to Go-Gurt. Chobani Simply 100 has nearly twice as much protein as sugar, and Oikos Triple Zero has 2.5 times more protein than sugar. And all of these are naturally sweetened with just a bit of sugar and/or stevia, with no artificial sweeteners or food dyes.

SKIP THIS: Popeye's Chicken Strips

Fried chicken is obviously not "healthy." Now coat that chicken with artificial food dyes, MSG, bleached flour, sugar and salt, and deep fry it. It's about as far from "healthy" as you can get, and it's also exactly what you're getting in an order of Popeye's Strips or Nuggets. Most other fried fast-food nuggets and strips aren't much better.

SWAP FOR: Chick Fil A's Grilled Nuggets

Not only are they grilled instead of fried, with a fraction of the carbs and calories of fried chicken strips, Chick Fil A's Grilled Nuggets have one of the shortest ingredient lists for fast food nuggets, and also the closest to "real" ingredients that we could conceivably have in our pantry or fridge. They also pack in 23 grams of protein for just 140 calories and four grams of carbs per eight-piece serving.

SKIP THIS: Capri Sun Juice Drink

90 percent sugar water, 10 percent real juice. It could be worse - at least Capri Sun doesn't have artificial colors or other questionable ingredients - but it's certainly not on my recommended list for kids lunches and snacks.

SWAP THIS: Fruitables Fruit & Vegetable Juice Boxes, Capri Sun Super V, or plain old H20

We're getting a little closer with 100 percent juice options that are a blend of fruit and vegetable juices. The Fruitables brand has a wider variety of veggies in each juice box, but Capri Sun's Super V fruit-veggie blend has at least some vegetable juice, and no added sugar.

And don't overlook plain old water. Water is sold in "juice-box" style cartons, as well as small bottles that easily fit into lunch boxes. Or keep it really simple and streamlined, and simply fill a reusable bottle with plain old H20 for pure, zero-sugar, zero-calorie hydration.

##

Less offensive offenders

There are thousands of kids' snacks - like baked Goldfish "with whole grain," Nutri-Grain cereal bars, and Quaker Chewy granola bars - that fall into the not-horrific-but-certainly-not-super-nutritious category. Keep in mind that with so many snacks out there, it pays to read the labels. When selecting snacks such as cereal bars, goldfish crackers, or other snack packs, check the nutrition stats for less sugar, and more protein, fiber, and heart-smart fats, like those from nuts, seeds and nut butters.

##

Molly Kimball is a registered dietitian in New Orleans. She can be reached ateatingright@nola.com. Comment and read more atNOLA.com/eat-drink.Follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/mollykimballrd and Twitter: twitter.com/mollykimballrd.