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Forget baseball, snacking is the real pastime in America. We are stuffing in more snacks than ever, so much so that those between-meal nibbles are adding up to the calorie equivalent of a fourth (and even a fifth!) repast. On the topic of the heightened demand for snack grub, if I were to add up all my weekly product pitches from the PR world, the vast majority of them would be for snack-style package foods. Broccoli and chicken breast? Not so much. 

There is no way around it: sometimes, you just have to give in to a craving for snack food or require some calories to get you through to the next meal or a banger of a workout. But where this ends up being a major nutritional weak link for most guys is that the majority of snack choices (pretzels, cookies, greasy chips) present a slew of nutritional problems that can leave you feeling undernourished and your six-pack a few cans short.

Too many calories and too little nutrition—this can have serious belt-stretching ramifications. A study, which was recently published in the European Journal of Nutrition, analyzed the snacking habits of 854 adults and discovered that when people typically made unhealthy snack choices like sugary treats they tended to have higher BMI (body mass index), higher visceral fat mass, and higher postprandial—the period after eating a meal—triglyceride concentrations, all of which are associated with an increased risk for heart disease.

The researchers speculate that making healthy meal choices can largely be undone by eating unhealthy snacks. In other words, you can eat all the whole-food meals you want but if you snack like a kid on a sugar-high it won’t do you much good. 

While snacking often gets a bad rap, and rightfully so if it’s all about getting your Cheeze-It fix, when done right it can play a big role in helping us meet our nutritional needs for items like protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Snacking need not be all nutritional doom and gloom. 

The Snacking Cheat Sheet

The question is how to pick a healthy choice from the sea of snack food options in stores. Here are some guidelines to follow to make sure your snack habit is working towards your health and physique goals and not against them. 

• Choose products with little or no added sugar. It should be no surprise that the snack food aisle is littered with sugar bombs.


• Most snacks are protein lightweights. Do your best to try to find some snacks that give you useful amounts of this muscle-making macro. Consider snacks with 5 grams or more protein in a serving a good source of the macronutrient. 


• In most cases, limit the calories of packaged snacks to 250 or less. After all, this is not supposed to be a meal replacement and excessive snack calories can contribute to weight creep. 


• Snacks with fiber help make them satiating as well as improve your microbiome. Items with 3 grams of fiber or more in a serving can help you get what you need in a day. 


• Many guys fail to eat enough fruits and veggies, so having snacks on hand that contain these is a smart move. And, yes, this can include dried fruit, especially if unsweetened. 


• For grain-based snacks, look for items made with whole grains instead of refined grains.


• Select lower-sodium snacks more often. This means less than 300 mg in a serving. 


• Aim to munch on snacks that have a healthier fat profile such as the unsaturated fats you’ll find in nuts and seeds. It’s definitely not good news for your heart if all your snacks are riddled with palm kernel oil. 


• Tricky, unrecognizable names on an ingredient list are a red flag, even if the snack food is marketed as “healthy.”

Note: It would be a miracle if you found a packaged snack that meets all these nutritional criteria. My suggestion is to look for snacks with different healthy traits. For instance, you may want a morning snack that contains more protein and zero grams of sugar and then an afternoon snack that is higher in fiber and provides a source of fruit. 

Top 18 Snacks To Keep Your Diet 

It’s not always easy to eat well between meals. The grocery store is awash in snacks that are nutritionally problematic and supposedly good-for-you options that are far from it despite the marketing hype. Despite what might seem like a nutrition black hole, it’s possible to reach for the right snacks that not only taste great but are also a lot closer to healthy than not. Here are the RD-approved snack foods you need in your life to help you build muscle, boost your nutrition, and hold you over until your next square meal. Time to level up your snack game and silence a growling belly.

Chomps Pepperoni Seasoned Turkey

Per Serving (1 stick): Calories: 80  Protein: 12g  Carbs: 0g  Fat: 3.5g. Fiber: 0g  Added Sugar: 0g Sodium: 380 mg

Consider it a co*pliment to say this is the perfect snack food for meatheads. Smoked with cherry powder, chili pepper, fennel, and oregano, these meaty sticks are a perfect balance of savory, sweet and spicy. Each stick also delivers more protein than most of the way-too-dry jerky on the market. 

Seapoint Farms Mighty Lil’ Lentils Falafel

Per Serving (1/4 cup): Calories: 150 Protein: 5g  Fat: 7g  Carbs: 16g  Fiber: 5g  Added Sugar: 1g  Sodium: 220mg 

Lentils are already amazing, but bake them to crunchy perfection and season with a savory spice mix and you’ve got a nutritious snack food that hits all the taste and texture pleasure points. Why can’t all plant-based eating be this awesome? A lofty 5 grams fiber and just a single gram of sugar are nutritional numbers worth celebrating. 

Navitas Organics Power Snacks PB&J

Per Serving (2 pieces): Calories: 70  Protein: 1g  Fat: 1.5g  Carbs: 14g  Fiber: 2g  Added Sugar: 0g Sodium: 45mg

These little nuggets of energy contain a string of nutritious ingredients including dates, peanut butter, chia seeds, and freeze dried strawberry. And yes, they taste like everyone’s favorite childhood sandwich. Plus, they are portable enough that you could bring them along to help fuel any big workouts or long car rides to the in-laws.

Rich Nuts Crunchy Curry

Per Serving (1/4 cup): Calories: 170  Protein: 6g  Fat: 14g  Carbs: 10g  Fiber: 1g  Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 150mg

Buttery organic cashews are kicked up a notch with curry and cayenne. Much more exciting than your average gas station salty nut mix. Sprouting the cashews and then gently dehydrating them ramps up their nutritional value, which is already impressive and includes more protein than you may think. You’ll be hard-pressed to keep your hands out of the bag. 

Realsy Almonds Butter Dates

Per Serving (3 dates): Calories: 180  Protein: 3g  Fat: 5g  Carbs: 32g  Fiber: 4g  Added Sugar: 0g. Sodium: 77mg

These almond butter stuffed dates are the energy blast you need in your life. Pop a couple before a workout and get ready to soar. This dietitian appreciates that conservative ingredient list: dates, almond butter, sea salt….that’s it. Creamy, sweet, and just a bit salty, now that’s pure snacking satisfaction.

Good Culture Cottage Cheese Simply Pineapple

Per Serving (1 container): Calories: 100 Protein: 15g Carbs: 4g Fat: 3g  Fiber: 0g  Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 390mg

Made with real pineapple and without caloric added sugars, this fantastic-tasting cottage cheese has the bonus of containing gut-friendly probiotics. And even more muscle-supporting protein than most single-serving yogurts on the market. Certainly does not taste like diet food.

Wild Planet Wild Tuna & Red Bean Salad

Per Serving (1 container): Calories: 290  Protein: 16g  Carbs: 19g  Fat: 18g  Fiber: 6g Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 790mg

Wild skipjack tuna, nuggets of sweet corn, red beans, extra virgin olive oil: It’s one of the tastiest ways to snack on a bunch of protein with zero prep. High protein and high fiber together are a rarity in the snack world. The only downside is that the salad is on the high side for sodium. 

David Blueberry Pie Bar

Per Serving (1 bar): Calories: 150  Protein: 28g  Fat: 2g  Carbs: 14g  Fiber: 2g  Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 150 mg

New on the market, David bars claim to contain the most protein per calorie of any bar you can buy. At 28 grams for just 150 calories, it’s a believable assertion. The protein hails from a mash-up of milk protein isolate, collagen, whey protein concentrate, and egg white, so it’s top-notch stuff to help with muscle-making efforts. Fat numbers are kept on the down low, which helps with calorie control, and there aren’t any caloric sugars in the mix. Heat the bar in the microwave for a few seconds and it does taste a bit like warm berry pie. Just not as good as the one your mom makes.   

Ithaca Lemon Beet Hummus

Per Serving (4 Tbsp): Calories: 100  Protein: 4g  Fat: 6g  Carbs: 10g  Fiber: 2g Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 200 mg

Most packaged hummus is lame. Ithaca’s foremost smooth and creamy dip trumps all. Beets add sweetness and visual appeal, and there is just enough lemony brightness. Pair with baby carrots to work more vegetables into your snacking routine.

Peckish, Everything

Per Serving (1 packet): Calories: 180 Protein: 13g. Carbs: 5g. Fat: 2g  Fiber: 1g  Added Sugar: 0g, Protein: 13g  Sodium: 520mg

Two perfectly hard-boiled, free-range eggs that you are instructed to dip into everything-bagel seasoning. It’s weirdly awesome and a welco*ed respite from the typical range of packaged snack foods. Consider this nature’s protein bar. 

Barukas Nuts

Per Serving (1/4 cup): Calories: 140  Protein: 6g  Carbs: 12g  Fat: 10g  Fiber: 5g  Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 0mg

For a fresh take on snacking nuts, try these oblong gems from South America. Baru nuts are not technically a nut but a seed of a Brazilian legume and therefore provide more hunger-fighting fiber and protein than most of the more co*mon nuts we are used to eating. They taste like a love child of peanut and cashew with a touch of sweetness. A worthy splurge. 

RIND Orchard

Per Serving (1/2 cup): Calories: 140  Protein: 1g  Carbs: 33g  Fat: 0g  Fiber: 5g  Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 0mg

Too many dehydrated fruit snack foods taste like tree bark. Not this stunning mixture of apple, peach and persimmon, which is dehydrated in a gentle fashion to retain a slight chew. And since the fruit is dehydrated with its skin still intact (hence the brand name RIND) the fiber and antioxidant numbers are higher. It’s a delicious way to get a natural energy boost. 

Frooze Balls Caramel Choc Peanut Butter

Per Serving (2 balls): Calories: 121  Protein: 3g  Carbs: 18g  Fat: 5g  Fiber: 3g  Added Sugar: 2g  Sodium: 0mg

If you aren’t going to break out the food processor to make your own energy balls, these are a great fall-back. A creamy filling is enrobed in a date-based crust for a snack that tastes like candy but isn’t. Dates deliver natural sugar energy and the nutty ingredients give you a dose of heart-benefiting fats. Pop a couple  before your workout and you should be able to push a little harder. 

Horizon Organic Mozzarella String Cheese

Per Serving (1 stick): Calories: 80  Protein: 7g  Carbs: 2g  Fat: 6g  Fiber: 0g  Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 190mg

Kids love them so why shouldn’t you? Each satisfying cheese stick has an impressive 7 grams of protein with moderate levels of fat and you also get a nice amount of bone-benefiting calcium. The milk used to make this string cheese co*es from pasture-raised cows fed an organic diet.

Lenny & Larry’s Fitzels Pizzapalooza

Per Serving (1/3 package): Calories: 130  Protein: 7g  Carbs: 13g  Fat: 4g  Fiber: 0g  Added Sugar: 1g  Sodium: 80mg

Pretzels that are packed with protein…who knew such a thing existed? These Fitzels (a play on fitness + pretzels) offer up an on-the-go source of plant-based protein in an enticing pizza pretzel flavor.  A bag of Rold Cold these are not. 

Superseedz Somewhat Spicy

Per Serving (1/4 cup): Calories: 150  Protein: 8g  Carbs: 4g  Fat: 13g  Fiber: 2g  Added Sugar: 0g   Sodium: 75mg

Crunchy pumpkin seeds are gussied up with cayenne for a snack that packs some kick and is sure to shake you out of your mid-afternoon slumber. The seeds are a good source of protein and several essential nutrients including iron, magnesium, and zinc. So grab them by the handful and feel good about it.

Chobani 20g Protein Strawberry Kiwi

Per Serving (1 container): Calories: 140  Protein: 20g  Carbs: 8g  Fat: 3g  Fiber: 0g  Added Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 110mg

It’s right there in the product title: 20 grams of protein. For a single serving of yogurt that is certainly an impressive amount and makes it one of the highest protein snack foods you can buy. Also worth celebrating is the inclusion of real fruit and the absence of any added sugar. So grab a spoon and dig in. 

Raincoast Crisps Almond Flour Rosemary Raisin

Per Serving (4 crackers): Calories: 90 Protein: 2g Carbs: 11g Fat: 4g Fiber: 1g, Added Sugar: 0g Sodium: 135mg

A cracker without all the starchy carbs. These almond flour-based crackers have a delicious savory-sweet flavor and perfect crispiness. Go ahead and pair these with our hummus pick for a next-level snack. 

Blockbuster Snack Mix

This beefed-up trail mix will sate all of your texture and flavor cravings, whether you are lost in the woods or planted firmly on the couch to get cozy with Netflix. Each handful delivers a winning co*bo of protein, healthy fats and quality carbs to take a sledgehammer to hunger pangs and keep you feeling energized.

Makes 6 Servings

• 2 teaspoons oil 


• 1/3 cup popcorn kernels


• 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne


• 1/2 cup chopped beef jerky


• 1 cup sliced dried mango or pineapple


• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews


• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted almonds


• 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Heat oil in a large heavy-bottom saucepan. Place 4 corn kernels in the pan and cover the pan. When the kernels pop, pour in the remaining kernels in an even layer. Cover pan, lift it off the heat, and count to 30 seconds. Return pan to heat, with the lid slightly ajar to release some steam. Once the popping reaches a rapid pace, gently shake the pan back and forth on the burner on occasion. After the popping slows to a crawl, remove pan from heat and pour popcorn into a large bowl. Immediately coat popcorn with some oil spray and toss with curry powder, salt, and cayenne. Place jerky, dried mango or pineapple, cashews, almonds and pepitas in the bowl with the popcorn and toss to mix.