Junk in the Trunk: Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Snacks - Women Campus

It's 11 p.m. and your stomach is rumbling. You know there's a package of Double Stuf Oreos with your name on it in the pantry. But before you march downstairs and give into the munchies, know that you can make a healthy choice. While it's certainly OK to give into your cravings once in awhile, there's no reason why you can't get a little more nutritional bang for your calorie buck by making healthier choices that still satisfy your sweet tooth. Her Campus has got you covered with the best healthy alternatives to your favorite snacks no matter how your cravings strike.

Cereal Snacking

Bad: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
[Serving size: ¾ cup (31g). 130 calories, 3g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 25g carbohydrate, 10g sugar]
 
Better: Chocolate Cheerios
HC Contributing Writer Chrissy Callahan says, "Chocolate Cheerios are amazing when you want a lot of chocolate but don't wanna have too many calories!"
[Serving size: ¾ cup (27g). 100 calories, 1g fat, 0g saturated fat, 23g carbohydrate, 9g sugar]
 
Best: Oatmeal with pineapple, walnuts and protein powder
Nutritionist Dave Spindel says that vanilla protein powder, together with the complex carbohydrates of the oatmeal, will help to stabilize your blood sugar. Just borrow one tablespoon of protein powder from that cute boy down the hall and add it along with ½ cup pineapples and six walnuts.  Don't let the high calorie and fat count scare you away—Spindel says walnuts provide essential fatty acids and that this mega snack will keep you going for hours—and we all know there's no way you'd stop at just one serving of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
[Serving size: 1 bowl. 520 calories, 20.4g fat, 2.3g saturated fat, 59g carbohydrate, 648mg sodium]

Movie Snack Munchies

Bad: Movie popcorn
[Serving size: 1 large (124g). 664 calories, 31g fat, 27g saturated fat, 75g carbohydrate, 443mg sodium]
 
Better: Homemade popcorn popped in oil
HC Contributing Writer Alyssa Grossman says she makes her popcorn with olive oil or vegetable oil and then sprinkles spices on top.  Buy a popcorn maker here.
[Serving size: 1 cup. 55 calories, 3.1g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 6g carbohydrate, 97mg sodium]
 
Best: Airpopped popcorn
[Serving size: 1 cup. 31 calories, 0.3g fat, 0g saturated fat, 6g carbohydrate, 0mg sodium]

Athletic Event Eats

Bad: Nachos
[Serving size: 1 cup. 692 calories, 38g fat, 16g saturated fat, 43g carbohydrate, 1632mg sodium]
 
Better: Chick-fil-a Chicken Sandwich
Ditch the buns and you'll save yourself about 200 calories, 400 mg of sodium and almost 30g of carbohydrates from the nutritional info below.
[Serving size: 1 sandwich. 430 calories, 17g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 39g carbohydrate, 1370mg sodium]
 
Best: Cracker Jacks
Skip the florescent yellow cheese and like the song says, "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks." This peanut, popcorn and molasses snack has been a ballpark staple for years and will satisfy your sweet (and salty) tooth.
[Serving size: ½ cup. 120 calories, 2g fat, 0g saturated fat, 23g carbohydrate, 70mg sodium]

Fast Food Desserts

Bad: Chocolate shake (from McDonalds)
[Serving size: Small shake (12 fl oz). 440 calories, 10g fat, 6g saturated fat, 76g carbohydrate, 63g sugar]
 
Better: Small vanilla ice cream cone (from McDonald's)
A small cone is the perfect refreshing treat, but if you're feeling extra creative make your own frozen pop. Alyssa says she dips bananas in orange juice and graham crackers, puts a stick in the banana and then freezes the pops—yum!
[Serving size: 3.2 oz cone. 150 calories, 3.5g fat, 2g saturated fat, 24g carbohydrate, 18g sugar]
 
Best: Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait (from McDonald's)
The nutritional facts of the parfait may be about equal to the small vanilla cone but you get twice as much dessert in size.
[Serving size: 7 oz parfait. 160 calories, 2g fat, 1g saturated fat, 31g carbohydrate, 19g sugar]
 
Couch Potato Cravings

Bad: Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing
[Serving size: 6 wings with 2 tbsp of dressing. 595 calories, 47.3g fat, 11.1g saturated fat, 122g carbohydrate, 627mg sodium]
 
Better: Cool Ranch Doritos
[Serving size: About 12 chips. 150 calories, 8g fat, 1g saturated fat, 18g carbohydrate, 180mg sodium]
 
Best: Hummus with carrots and celery
Whether you're having a movie marathon or watching the big game, you can still have the crunch without the calories if you snack on crispy veggies. Katie Crandell, HC Contributing Writer, says she pairs her hummus with baby carrots.
[Serving size: 1 serving (2 tbsp of hummus, 6 baby carrots). 87 calories, 2.7g fat, 0.3g saturated fat, 12g carbohydrate, 113mg sodium]
 
Late Night Vending Machine Snacks
Bad: Pop Tarts (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough)
[Serving size: 1 pouch (2 pastries total). 400 calories, 10g fat, 4g saturated fat, 70g carbohydrate, 36g sugar]
 
Better: Fig Newtons
If you want something fruity, you can skip the Pop Tarts and open up a box of Fig Newtons.
[Serving size: 2 cookies. 200 calories, 4g fat, 1g saturated fat, 39g carbohydrate, 22g sugar]

 
Best: Dried Fruit
Roseleen Allen, a certified diabetes educator, says dried fruit is another great option for a healthy snack. Try to find a brand with nuts (like when peanuts and raisins come packaged together) and you've crossed off another great snack recommended by Allen.
[Serving size: 1/3 cup. 130 calories, 6g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 19g carbohydrate, 10g sugar]

Dairy Desserts

Bad: Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter ice cream
[Serving size: ½ cup. 290 calories, 17g fat, 9g saturated fat, 32g carbohydrate, 25g sugar]
 
Better: Skinny Cow Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream
Hannah Orenstein, Her Campus editorial intern, says she swears by Skinny Cow ice cream cups, which also come in strawberry cheesecake, cookies 'n' cream, dulce de leche, and caramel cone. (These are also a favorite of HC founder Stephanie!)
[Serving size: 1 container. 150 calories, 2g fat, 1g saturated fat, 29g carbohydrate, 17g sugar]
 
Best: Edy's Fruit Bars in Acai Blueberry
[Serving size: 1 bar. 60 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 16g carbohydrate, 16g sugar]

On the Go Eats
Bad: Munchies (Cheetos, Doritos, Rold Gold, Sun Chips Snack Mix)
[Serving size: 0.8 cup. 140 calories, 7g fat, 1g saturated fat, 18g carbohydrate, 250mg sodium]

 
Better: Luna Bar S'mores
Yes, you're getting fiber and protein from an energy bar, but Spindel says there tends to be a lot of sugar in these bars and "you might as well eat a Snickers bar."
[Serving size: 1 bar. 180 calories, 5g fat, 2g saturated fat, 27g carbohydrate, 140mg sodium]

Best: Trail mix
You can buy store-made trail mix or follow Annie Wang, Her Campus Co-founder and CTO, and make your own. Annie says to mix equal parts peanuts, M&Ms, raisins and sunflower seeds for a healthy snack that's sweet and salty.
[Serving size: ½ cup (27g). 352 calories, 25.2g fat, 3.1g saturated fat, 27g carbohydrate, 4mg sodium]
 

Mexican Munchies
Bad: Taco Bell Enchirito (Beef)
[Serving size: 213g. 370 calories, 17g fat, 8g saturated fat, 35g carbohydrate, 1430mg sodium]

Better: Hungry Girl Hey Mambo! Veggie Italiano Quesadilla
Taco Bell and Chipotle may be yummy, but you are better off splitting something or looking for a great recipe like this one from Hungry Girl.
[Serving size: 1 serving. 265 calories, 8g fat, 38.5g carbohydrate, 843mg sodium]
 

Best: Rice with chicken and beans
Spindel says a great mid-afternoon snack is something with complex carbohydrates such as rice with meat and beans. You could easily cook up some rice in advance and refrigerate until hunger strikes after your 2 p.m. class.
[Serving size: 1 cup. 390 calories, 14.4g fat, 3.4g saturated fat, 39g carbohydrate, 740mg sodium]
 
Pizza Pie
Bad: Domino's Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza
[Serving size: 1 slice (of a large pizza). 340 calories, 16.5g fat, 6.5g saturated fat, 38g carbohydrate, 890mg sodium]

 
Better: Domino's Thin Crust Pizza with chicken, tomatoes and black olives
[Serving size: 1 slice (of a large pizza). 225 calories, 11g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 20g carbohydrate, 640mg sodium]
 
Best: English Muffin Pizza
Save money and a trip to the gym by making your own mini pizza right at home. We made ours with a multigrain English muffin topped with ¼ cup of skim mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of tomato sauce (you get a bonus point for each colorful veggie you plop on top!).
[Serving size: 1 serving. 232 calories, 6.2g fat, 2g saturated fat, 26.8g carbohydrate, 478.3mg sodium]
 
It may be faster to chow down on those Oreos in the short run, but Allen says a snack consisting of junk food won't do your body justice. "All you're getting is a lot of calories, but you're not getting value out of it," says Allen. Skip the bad aisles at the grocery store and you won't even know what you are missing. Instead, fill your pantry and mini-fridge with fast, easy snacks such as string cheese, pretzels, Triscuits, beef jerky and Nutri-grain bars. When checking nutritional labels, Spindel says to look for snacks that are low in fat and sugar. If you are prepared with great tasting ingredients, you'll be set the next time those cravings strike.
 
 
Sources
 
Dave Spindel, Nutritionist and Owner of Essential Fitness, http://www.essentialfitness.com/
 
Roseleen Allen, MS, RD, CDE
 
Chrissy Callahan, HC Contributing Writer
 
Alyssa Grossman, HC Contributing Writer
 
Hannah Orenstein, HC editorial intern
 
Annie Wang, HC Co-founder and CTO
 
Katie Crandell, HC Contributing Writer
 
My Pyramid Tracker, mypyramidtracker.gov, for all non-packaged items not listed below (Oatmeal with toppings, popcorn popped in oil/airpopped popcorn, English muffin pizza, rice with chicken and beans, hummus and carrots, trail mix)
 
General Mills
 
http://www.livestrong.com/article/157609-air-popped-popcorn-vs-oil-popped/ http://www.livestrong.com/article/32751-popcorn-nutrition-information/" target="_blank">Popcorn
 
Cracker Jacks
 
Nachos
 
Chick-fil-a
 
Doritos
 
Fig Newtons
 
Pop-Tarts (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough)

Dried Fruit
 
Ben and Jerry's
 
Skinny Cow
 
Edy's Fruit Bars
 
Munchies
 
Luna Bar
 
Taco Bell
 
Hungry Girl
 
Domino's