“Healthy food near me” is a question that is googled often, especially when there is no time for meal prep. Too often time gets away from us, and we scramble last minute only to put unhealthy food into the bellies of our hangry kids. Here are some snacks you can add to your grocery list (available at your local grocery store) to prepare for the kids to go back to school. We have also included a list of unhealthy snacks to avoid buying.
Rankings are based on three factors:
- Nutrition: calories, saturated fat, added sugar, sodium, protein, and fiber.
- Ingredients: pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives.
- Processing: modified ingredients with added artificial ingredients (like food coloring).
Best snacks (good nutritional value with low amounts of food processing):
Triscuits, Mary’s Gone Crackers, Sun Maid Raisins, Cascadian Farms Organic Crunchy Granola Bars, Snyder’s Unsalted Mini Pretzels, 365 Microwave Popcorn, Bob’s Red Mill popcorn, Smartfood Organic Air Popped with Sea Salt, Apples with peanut butter (365 Everyday Value Organic Peanut Butter or Jif Peanut Butter), Organic Baby Carrots, Pineapple, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Zego Apple Cinnamon Seed + Fruit Bar
Mediocre (good nutritional value with moderate amounts of food processing):
Goldfish, O Organics Organic Cheddar Lions Naturally Flavored Baked Snack Crackers, Cheddar Lions, Annie’ Organic Baked Crackers, Cascadian Farms Chewy Granola Bars Harvest Berry with Raisins, Kashi Chewy Granola Bars, Kind Granola Bars, Annie’s Organic Chewy Granola Bars, Snyder’s Flavored Pretzels, Dippin Styx Sliced Apples with Caramel, Wegmans Gluten Free Pretzels, Smartfood Popcorn with Cheese, O Organics Veggie Tray with Ranch Dressing, Safeway Apples & Peanut Butter, uncrustables PB& J, Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Animal Crackers, Signature Farms Apple Slices, Pro2 Snax Sliced Apples With Chocolate Caramels & Pretzels, Chocolate Caramels
Most unhealthy snacks (poor nutritional value with large amounts of food processing):
Keebler Crackers, Ritz Crackers, Quaker Oats Chewy Granola Bars, Special K Chewy Granola Bars, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Yogurt Covered Pretzels, Fiddle Faddle Popcorn with Peanuts and Caramel, Crunch N Munch Popcorn, Marketside Baby Carrots with Cheese Kit, Keebler Frosted Animal Crackers
