6 Healthy Crunchy Snacks To Eat Instead of Potato Chips
Hey Queens!
I love a good crunchy snack. But many processed chips and crackers out there are FULL of nutritionally empty, not-so-great ingredients—even the so-called “healthy” ones. Remember that just because something is marketed to be healthy and good for you does not mean that it actually is.
The only real way to know is to look at the ingredients. But if you’re not well versed in how to look at the nutrition label, it can get pretty overwhelming.
So, for this week I decided to compile a list of healthy crunchy snacks that I enjoy to make it easy for ya. And if you’re vegan or gluten free I have great news! Most of the snacks featured on this list are things that you can eat.
Let’s get into it!
Who doesn’t love Cheez-Its right? But when you really start to dig into the ingredients, you’ll discover that even being supposedly made with “whole grains” isn’t enough to cover up the fact that they are also made with enriched flour, soybean oil, and TBHQ.
According to critically-acclaimed food blogger and author, Vani Hari, enriched and bleached flour should be avoided when possible due to it having “no nutritional value” after the heavy chemical processing that the flour will go through.
Soybean oil/Vegetable oil, despite sounding healthy are considered some of the most unhealthiest oils out there due to the soybeans being “subjected to intensive chemical refining with toxic hexane, bleach, and deodorizers.”
And TBHQ, a synthetic preservative, has been linked to “to vision disturbances, liver enlargement, childhood behavioral problems, stomach cancer, and most recently, to the rise in food allergies.”
So, a great alternative to Cheez Its are these cauliflower crackers from the brand From The Ground Up.
I think the name really says it all about their ethos. Not only are the ingredients great, but it totally passes the Altman rule with a combined total of 4g of protein and fiber to 2g of sugar per serving.
These are definitely some of my favorite crackers. They are much lighter than Cheez-Its and have their own unique earthy flavor that really got me hooked right off the bat. I love the sea salt flavor, but they also have a nacho and a cheddar version as well. I could totally imagine kids really enjoying these as a snack along with some apple slices and peanut butter.
You can check them out in my Amazon Influencer Store.
2. Plantain Chips
So, being that I’m both African and Caribbean I LIVE for plantain chips. And cooked plantains can be a great source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. But when it comes to plantain chips the brand really does matter when assessing how nutritionally viable of an option you’re working with.
My favorite plantain chips when I’m trying to be healthy are from Trader Joe’s because it’s just plantains, oil, [and spices for the jerk version]. They have a plain version and a jerk spice version that both taste amazing when paired with a pomegranate guacamole.
What is Silicone Dioxide?
If you read the ingredients list for the jerk spice plantain chips, you’ll find that in breakdown of the spices that there is ominous sounding ingredient by the name of silicone dioxide. When initially saw it, I tell y’all as much as I love plantains I was ready to throw out the whole bag. But based on my research, it is a food additive that sounds much more intense than what it is.
According to Livestrong.com, “silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is a chemical compound commonly used in food as an anti-caking agent or in cosmetics to prevent corrosion, according to the USDA. Silicon dioxide helps keep the powders free-flowing and moisture-free and is a common additive in foods like flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.”
And while it might be unnerving to hear that this is also used in cosmetics, registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix says that “[silicon dioxide] actually appears naturally in many foods including leafy greens, oats, bell peppers and beets.”
You just want to be sure that the amount of silica added to your food is very low (ie. it should always appear close to the end or at the end of an ingredients list).
I was shopping at my favorite store, Marshalls, the other day and happened to stumble across these veggie crisps by Popcorners. Given that they were on clearance and they had pretty decent ingredients I decided to give them a shot.
Similar to Popcorners, they have that light airy crunch, but they are made from chickpeas, rice, brussels sprouts, kale and green peas. They also feature no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives and are vegan.
I LOVED these paired with Kite Hill’s chives cream cheese as a dip. I also see online that they have a variety of flavors that I can’t wait to try and tell you about.
These were on sale one day at Sprouts, one of my favorite grocery stores in LA. While I’m not a huge fan of pea crisps normally, these caught my eye due to their macros per serving. 25 pea crisps (1 serving) got you 5g of protein, 5g of fiber and 1g of non-added sugar!
I have tried their sea salt and a garden herb flavor and definitely prefer the garden herb. My one drawback about this snack is that the flavor can be somewhat intense after you eat a couple. For me, the sea salt version felt overwhelmingly salty, and thus hard to finish. And while the garden herb definitely still packs on a flavor intensity that will have you reaching for your water bottle, the flavor profile is much more appealing to my taste buds, and slightly reminiscent of Funyuns.
They also feature all natural ingredients, but their other drawback is that they use “natural flavoring,” which is artificial flavoring. This isn’t a huge drawback for me, but it is still one worth noting.
You can check them out in my Amazon Influencer Store.
5. Cauliflower Tortilla Chips
OMG these chips tho! Complete game changer. Y’all already know I’m a big fan of From The Ground Up for their cauliflower crackers. So, when I saw these at Blogher Health a few weeks ago as a sponsored mid-afternoon treat, I decided to give them a try.
Let me tell y’all… I was ready to walk off with a whole basket (lol… but actually). The sea salt version is my favorite. There’s something about their taste profile that just really sets off my taste buds. I went to the grocery store to buy more and decided to try the lime flavor as well. The lime is ok-- it will get the job done. But the sea salt flavor is really where it’s at.
And given that they are from FTGU, you already know that they feature all natural ingredients as well as being vegan and gluten-free!
You can check them out in my Amazon Influencer Store.
6. Bada Bean Bada Boom Fava Bean Snacks
I have recently become OBSESSED with these Bada Bean Bada Boom fava bean snacks. They got sent to me by accident in one of my Hungryroot orders, but it was the best mistake to ever happen to me. (To learn more about Hungryroot, check out this article.)
Not only are they vegan and gluten free, but they are also high protein. 1 serving gets you 7 g of protein!
They are a perfect substitute for people who love to munch on nuts, but want to manage their fat intake. You could also substitute it for croutons in a salad or oyster crackers with your soup.
They have a multitude of flavors and so far I have tried sea salt, sweet sriracha, sweet onion and mustard, garlic and onion, BBQ, sweet cinnamon and spicy wasabi. My favorite right now is sweet onion and mustard. It reminds me of the Snyder’s Honey Mustard and Onion pretzel pieces that I have loved in the past, but that aren’t that great for you.
You can check them out in my Amazon Influencer Store.
What are your favorite healthy crunchy snacks? Let me know down in the comments or on social media (@DayshaVeronica)!
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