22. Ritz Crackers
Everybody snacks, but not everybody snacks healthily. It’s too easy to reach for those chips instead of making a veggie plate, and chowing down on some cookies is way more gratifying than snacking on grapes.
However, we all want to do what’s best for our bodies and our health, so that means snacking consciously. Play it safe by purging your pantry of these 22 snack items today.
Ritz Crackers may seem harmless, but they offer practically no nutritional value.
21. Whipped Cream
Instead, they come loaded with saturated fats and high fructose corn syrup.
Whipped cream may seem innocent enough, but you'll learn otherwise once you see how much trans fat and sugar each serving has.
20. Ice Cream
Save yourself some calories, and skip the whip next time you do a coffee run.
19. Doritos
Ice cream has surprisingly high levels of cholesterol, making it a cold treat to eat in moderation.
These may be one of the most popular chips, but anything coated with this fake cheese dust is automatically unhealthy.
18. Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies
It's packed with chemicals and dyes— two things you don't want to be putting in your body on purpose.
These cookies may seem like a great alternative to homemade, but buyer beware!
17. Chicken Nuggets
Each cookie contains over 200 calories, and high amounts of both carbs and sugar.
Frozen chicken nuggets may be an easy way to feel full at dinner, but they’re definitely far from healthy. They’re packed with sodium and fat, and are also high in calories.
16. Cheez-Its
You’re better off cooking a chicken breast, which doesn’t take too much time to prepare.
While Cheez-Its are a national favorite, they unfortunately don’t offer much in the way of nutritional value. Instead, these little crackers contain flour, oil, and preservatives.
15. Skittles
These are all things that should be consumed in moderation, if at all.
Unfortunately, these sweets only contain sugar, trans fats, artificial coloring, and corn syrup.
14. Microwave Popcorn
While they may taste like a rainbow, there's nothing alluring health-wise.
Sodium levels aside, popcorn typically isn't considered a bad snack. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says there's a cancer-causing chemical in the lining of the microwave bags known as perfluorooctanoic acid.
13. Canned Frosting
Chemicals aside, popcorn is also ridiculously high in trans fat, with some brands having more than 5 grams per serving.
Canned frosting means partially hydrogenated cooking oils, which translates into trans fat. You’re better off making your own frosting from scratch. At least that way you’re cutting out the hydrogenated oils.
12. Hot Pockets
According to one site, a serving of Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Chocolate frosting is worth a complete day’s worth of trans fat! Yikes.
Hot Pockets contain a plethora of awful ingredients, including: partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat), artificial flavors, and even fake cheese!
11. Pretzels
Plus, at almost 300 calories per serving, this may not be the best way to fill your craving.
Pretzels may be associated with "healthy" snacking, but too many of these twisted treats can result in unwanted levels of sodium.
10. Bottled Ranch Dressing
Always snack consciously when eating pretzels!
Bottled Ranch dressing includes artificial ingredients, such as sweeteners and Modified Food Starch. If you don't know what Modified Food Starch is, then you probably shouldn't be eating bottled dressing.
9. Pepperoni Pizza
Foods containing Modified Food Starch are typically thought to have high sugar, fat, and sodium levels.
Who doesn't love a good pizza night? Perhaps there's a reason so many of us are die-hard pizza fans.
8. Pork Rinds
This fast-food comes with plenty of grease, fat, and calories. Plus, it's not a source of healthy foods, such as veggies, even if you add the olives.
Pork rinds are literally fried strips of pork fat, which are also high in sodium.
7. Bagels
It's no wonder people love them, but it's also no surprise they don't make for a healthy snack.
Bagels are one of the worst types of carbs you can consume. They are seriously packed with carbohydrates— almost half your daily allowance!
6. Packaged Kale Chips
Plus, you're probably adding fat and calories to it with some type of spread.
Kale became very popular this past year. Plenty of people jumped on board the kale train, but failed to realize those dried kale chips come with massive amounts of sodium.
5. Packaged Lunch Meats
Always check the label when buying pre-packaged kale chips, or better yet, make them at home using limited salt and spices.
You may not automatically associate lunch meat with being unhealthy, but this convenient food is full of sodium and preservatives.
4. Easy Cheese
How do you think it survives in your fridge for so long?
Anyone who says they don't like Easy Cheese is lying! There's a reason it's a guilty pleasure, and that's due to the preservatives, chemicals, and sodium added.
3. Prepackaged Cookies
Not to mention it's almost 100 calories for only two tablespoons!
Pre-packaged cookies are a big no-no. Not only are they considered a processed food, but they come packed with trans fat—the worst kind of fat to consume.
2. Cheetos
Brands such as Keebler and Chips Ahoy use partially hydrogenated cooking oils (AKA trans fat), which you want to avoid as much as possible.
Did you know the orange cheese dust on Cheetos is actually a chemical designed to be part of the "Cheeto experience?" That’s in addition to the processed and fried corn that goes into making a Cheeto.
There’s nothing even remotely healthy about these chips.