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Vending Machines
So Many Choices...
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I was in a meeting the other day that went much longer than planned. I could feel my stomach rumbling, so during a break I started looking for food. As I came around the corner of the lobby I spotted THEM...the snack food vending machines. They were all lit up displaying rows of sweet and salty delights.
What should I choose? Did they have anything healthy? I discovered some options are definitely better than others. In an effort to help you out the next time you're faced with Vending Machine Roulette, I present the 5 BEST and 5 WORST snack food choices.
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Do you know which ones are the healthy choices? |
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BEST
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WORST
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Bottled Water
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| 0 Calories, 0g Fat, 0mg Sodium, 0g Carbs, 0 Sugars, 0g Protein |
Gotcha! That's not even in the snack machine, but it may be your best first choice. It's easy to confuse thirst with hunger, so instead of eating a high fat sack you should quench your thirst first. If you're still hungry after you drink the water, then look at the snack options.
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Candy Bars
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| Snickers - 280 Calories, 5g Fat, 140mg Sodium, 35g Carbs, 30g Sugars, 4g Protein |
Snickers is the top-selling vending food. The ads say, "Packed with roasted peanuts, caramel and milk chocolate, SNICKERS Brand handles your hunger..." What they don't say is that it has almost as many calories as a meal and those calories are mostly from sugar. If you have a craving for chocolate, reach for a plain dark chocolate bar. You'll get less fat and more healthy antioxidants.
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Baked Chips
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| Baked Lays Original - 110 Calories, 1.5g Fat, 150mg Sodium, 23g Carbs, 2g Sugars, 2g Protein |
If you're absolutely set on chips, reach for the baked versions that have less fat than the original.
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Chips
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| Classic Lays - 150 Calories, 10g Fat, 180mg Sodium, 15g Carbs, 0g Sugars, 2g Protein |
It's amazing how many rows of chips are in snack machines. Unfortunately most bags of chips are loaded with fat and salt. Some even contain trans-fats (the most dangerous kind). Skip these for other options.
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Pretzels
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| Rold Gold - 100 Calories, 0g Fat, 460mg Sodium, 23g Carbs, 1g Sugars, 2g Protein |
Baked chips aren't in many vending machines, but quite a few have bags of pretzels. They're fat free (which is good), but they're much higher in sodium than the baked chips (which can be bad) so don't eat more than a bag.
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Sandwich Crackers
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| Keebler Cheese & Peanut Butter Crackers - 190 Calories, 10g Fat, 290mg Sodium, 23g Carbs, 3g Sugars, 4g Protein |
More salt and fat packed into a couple quick bites. Choose something else.
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Nuts
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| Planters Peanuts (Dry Roasted / No Salt) - 170 Calories, 14g Fat, 0mg Sodium, 6g Carbs, 1g Sugars, 7g Protein |
Almonds and peanuts are good sources of monounsaturated fat and protein. Look for raw or roasted and avoid the salted or honey roasted.
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Popcorn
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| Buttery Toffee Crunch & Munch - 140 Calories, 5g Fat, 160mg Sodium, 23g Carbs, 13g Sugars, 2g Protein |
Air popped popcorn without butter and salt can be a filling snack. Unfortunately it's also boring. So snack food companies decided to cover popcorn in sugar, doubling it's calories and packing 1/3 of your daily allowance of sugar in one small bag. Pass on these and try something else.
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Dried Fruit
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| Bare Fruit Apple Chips - 43 Calories, 0g Fat, 15mg Sodium, 12g Carbs, 10g Sugars, 0g Protein |
Fresh fruit is the healthiest option but, if you're not lucky enough to find a machine that sells any, dried fruit is an adequate alternative. Dried fruit has additional sugar and preservatives, but it also has vitamins and fiber.
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Cookies
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| Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies - 290 Calories, 14g Fat, 200mg Sodium, 37g Carbs, 18g Sugars, 3g Protein |
These are the best selling cookies in vending machines. That's not surprising because they taste good. Unfortunately they're loaded with sugar, fat and more calories than any other package of food I looked at.
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The best choice is to bring healthy food along with you and skip snack machines entirely. Next time you're at the supermarket pickup some pre-packaged meal replacement bars, shakes and fruit. But if that's not an option, use a snack to satisfy your immediate hunger while you look for something more substantial. Plan ahead and you can dramatically cut the sugar, fat and calories.
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CAUTION: Check with your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program.
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