Healthy snacks to take with you: what to check on the label and homemade alternatives

When does a snack become an extra meal?

A snack does its job when it eases hunger and helps you get to lunch or dinner without feeling anxious. It becomes an extra meal when it provides almost as much energy as a full dish but barely satisfies you. It can also happen when you eat without being hungry, out of boredom or simply because food is within reach.

The figures from the Spanish Food Composition Database (BEDCA) show this well [3]. A medium apple, around 150 g, provides about 75 kcal. A 125 g plain yoghurt, about 75 kcal. A 25 g handful of almonds or walnuts, between 150 and 170 kcal. And a 45 g bag of crisps, about 240 kcal [3].

The bag contains more energy than the apple and yoghurt together, and it is easy to feel hungry again an hour later.

A good snack helps you reach your next meal feeling normally hungry.

Before opening anything, ask yourself three questions.

• Am I hungry, or do I just fancy a bite? If it is nearly time to eat, water or an infusion is often enough.
• Will it satisfy me? Fruit, yoghurt, nuts or wholemeal bread are more filling because of their fibre, protein or water. Refined flour, sugar and fat are not very filling.
• How much will I eat? It is easier to keep track of a single serving than a large open packet.

What should you look for on a snack label?

The front of the packet matters less than two parts of the label: the ingredients list and the nutrition table. European food information regulations require both [2].

1. The ingredients list. Ingredients are listed from greatest to least weight [2]. If sugar, syrup or refined flour appears near the top, it is a main ingredient. A short list of ingredients you recognise is usually a good sign. For plain nuts, the only ingredient is the nut.
2. The table per 100 g. Always compare per 100 g, because each manufacturer sets its own serving size. Pay particular attention to energy, sugars and salt, which must be listed [2]. Fibre only appears if the manufacturer declares it.
3. Salt. The table already gives salt, calculated by multiplying sodium by 2,5 [2]. A product may be labelled low in salt if it contains no more than 0,12 g of sodium per 100 g, about 0,3 g of salt [4].
4. The actual serving in the packet. Many packets that look like single servings contain two or three servings. Multiply the figures before deciding.

Claims on the front are also regulated by European nutrition claims rules [4].

• “Low sugars”. No more than 5 g of sugars per 100 g in a solid food [4].
• “No added sugars”. No sugars or other ingredients have been added for sweetening, but the food may contain sugars naturally present in fruit or milk [4]. A bar made only from dried fruit can contain a lot of sugar without any sugar being added.
• “Source of fibre”. At least 3 g of fibre per 100 g. “High fibre” requires at least 6 g [4].
• “Light” or “reduced”. At least 30% less energy, fat or sugars than a similar product [4]. That does not make it low in calories. “Light” crisps are still crisps.

Words such as “fit” or “smart snack”, and pictures of fruit on the packet, guarantee nothing. The nutrition table is what counts.

How much sugar is too much in a snack?

The World Health Organization recommends that free sugars provide no more than 10% of daily energy intake [5]. On a 2.000 kcal day, that is about 50 g. For additional benefits, it suggests reducing this to below 5%, about 25 g [5].

Free sugars are those added to foods and drinks, plus sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juice. Sugars in whole fruit and milk do not count [5].

Using that reference, a snack with 15 or 20 g of added sugars uses up a large part of the day’s allowance. The “sugars” line in the table includes both naturally occurring and added sugars. To find out which are added, check the ingredients list for sugar, syrups, honey, dextrose or fruit concentrates.

What healthy snacks can you take with you, and in what portions?

These options keep well outside the fridge or in a small insulated bag. The amounts are indicative [3].

• Whole fruit. One medium apple, pear, orange or banana, or a handful of grapes or cherries. Apples and pears provide about 50–55 kcal per 100 g, and bananas about 90–95 kcal [3]. This is the most convenient option because it needs no packaging.
• Plain or unsalted roasted nuts. A 20–30 g handful, about what fits in the palm of your hand . The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition recommends eating them three or more times a week, up to one serving a day, without added salt, fat or sugar [1]. They provide healthy fats, protein and fibre.
• Plain yoghurt or unsweetened kefir. One 125 g pot, about 75 kcal [3]. Add chopped fruit or a few walnuts if you need something more.
• Small sandwich. About 40 g of wholemeal bread, a small roll or two thin slices, with tomato and fresh cheese, turkey, hummus or a small tin of tuna or sardines. If you are unsure about tinned food, see which healthy canned foods to choose.
• Raw vegetables to snack on. Carrot, cucumber or celery sticks and cherry tomatoes, with a little hummus or homemade guacamole. They are mostly water and fibre.
• Homemade popcorn. Popcorn made in a pan or microwave with a drizzle of olive oil, without butter or sugar. It provides plenty of volume for its energy content.

When it may help to have a snack between meals

A snack can help when there are many hours between meals, or when you exercise in the afternoon after eating early. It can also help if arriving at dinner very hungry leads you to eat much more than you would like. In these situations, planning a snack is better than improvising in front of a vending machine.

Think twice when it is on top of meals that already satisfy you, or when you choose bars, biscuits or pastries because they seem healthy. If you are unsure about biscuits, we have a guide to choosing digestive-style biscuits.

Do you need snacks to lose weight?

No. We are often asked this in consultations, and eating five times a day is not compulsory. For fat loss, what matters is what you eat throughout the whole day and whether the plan is easy for you to maintain. Some people find that spreading food across five eating occasions helps them manage hunger; others do well with three meals. Both options are valid.

If you are trying to lose weight, our weight-loss diet guide explains how to organise meals to lose fat and avoid regaining it. A snack is just one more part of the plan.

What mistakes do we see in consultations?

Four beliefs come up almost every week, and all four can turn a snack into another meal.

• Avoiding nuts “because they are fattening”. They are energy-dense, and Spanish recommendations still advise eating them three or more times a week [1]. A handful can fit into a weight-loss eating plan. What makes a difference is eating from a large open bag or choosing fried, salted or honey-coated versions.
• Assuming anything with fruit is healthy. A dried-fruit bar or packaged juice is quite different from a piece of fruit. They concentrate sugar and do not provide the satiety of chewing.
• Eating more because it says “light” or “no added sugars”. Those claims say something specific and limited about the product [4]. They say nothing about how much you should eat.
• Having a snack every three hours as a rule. There is no required frequency. If you feel fine until your next meal, you do not need a snack.

How to organise snacks to take with you

• At work. Keep fruit and a small bag of nuts in your desk drawer, so the vending machine is no longer the only option.
• When travelling. A small wholemeal sandwich, whole fruit and water. They keep for hours without refrigeration.
• At the beach or pool. Chopped fruit in a food container, vegetable sticks with hummus and a bottle of cold water.
• At the cinema or at home with friends. Homemade popcorn, olives, cherry tomatoes or skewers of fresh cheese and fruit.