Small Packages Can Hold Big Surprises
Most households have multiple packaged snacks on hand because they're convenient, portioned, and often small enough to seem relatively harmless, but don't be fooled by their compact size. Ingredients such as oil, cheese, chocolate, nuts, and creamy fillings can make any modest-looking serving surprisingly calorie-dense. Here are 20 packaged snacks you might want to check the nutrition label on.
1. Trail Mix
Trail mix might contain wholesome ingredients, but nuts, dried fruit, chocolate candies, and sweetened clusters are a lot higher in calories when combined. A few casual handfuls can actually deliver far more calories than you’d expect from something commonly associated with hiking and healthy eating.
2. Cheese Crackers
Just because an individual cracker is small doesn't mean that there isn't cheese, refined flour, and added oil still in every bite. Cheese crackers are especially deceiving because they make large servings look reasonable and light, but really, you might be eating several servings and way more calories than intended if you don't pay attention.
3. Granola Bars
Despite being marketed as a healthier snack option, most granola bars are actually loaded with sweeteners, chocolate chips, nut butter, or sugary coatings that make them more of a sweet treat. With all those ingredients added in, the calorie count will definitely push more towards dessert territory.
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4. Flavored Tortilla Chips
Compared to your typical Doritos, Cheetos, and other classic potato chips, some people think that tortilla chips are a healthier alternative, even if they don't review their nutrition label. But the truth is, they're still fried or prepared with oil, and when flavored with bold seasonings, it's easy to get addicted and eat way too many.
5. Peanut Butter Crackers
Peanut butter does contain healthy fats, but it's also calorie dense, and when packaged with crackers that become addicting to eat, several sandwich crackers contain much more calories than you'd expect. They're not the most filling snacks out there, which keep you going back for more.
6. Chocolate-Covered Pretzels
Pretzels have a reputation for being lighter than potato chips, but once they're coated in chocolate, you can't believe that to still be true. Each piece combines a refined snack with a layer of sugar and fat, causing the calories to rise quicker than you'd like to know.
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7. Yogurt-Covered Raisins
The word “yogurt” can make raisins sound more nutritious and less indulgent than regular candy, but in reality, the sweet coating is often made with sugar and added fats rather than a simple layer of plain yogurt. A small handful can therefore carry significantly more calories than uncoated raisins.
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8. Sandwich Cookies
Two chocolate wafers with a creamy center may not seem excessive when you’re only eating a few and they seem small in size, but the truth is, this combination of refined flour, sugar, and filling makes each cookie awfully calorie-dense. It's hard to stop at just the recommended serving size, which means you're really racking up the calorie count the more you eat.
9. Banana Chips
Banana chips might seem like a healthy snack given that the word "banana" is in the name and it seems just like a dried version of the fruit, but this can be deceptive. Many packaged versions are actually fried in oil and may also have added sugar, making them much more calorie-dense than fresh banana slices would ever be.
10. Nut Butter Pouches
A portable pouch of almond, peanut, or cashew butter seems harmless enough and fits easily into a pocket or lunch bag, but there's more to it. Nuts do contain beneficial nutrients, but their fat content means even a small amount carries a substantial number of calories. For its size, it's a lot higher than you likely guessed.
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11. Muffin Snack Packs
Individually wrapped muffins are often marketed as quick breakfast foods or lunchbox treats, but their compact size can actually hide the amount of flour, oil, and sugar used to create their soft texture and sweet flavor. These are never really healthy, even if they're advertised that way.
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12. Protein Cookies
It's important to know that protein does not equal low in calorie. In fact, just because it contains extra protein doesn't stop it from being made with just as much oil, sweetener, chocolate, and nut-based ingredients as any standard cookie!
13. Caramel Popcorn
Plain air-popped popcorn can be a fairly light and healthy snack, but caramel-coated ones are a completely different matter. All that sugar and butter increases the calorie count significantly, and because it's the munching kind of snack, you'll eat way more than you should.
14. Snack Cakes
Wrapped snack cakes are convenient and easy to pack into school or office lunches, but you shouldn't mistake them as lower in calorie just because they're small in size. The cake, creamy filling, icing, and decorative drizzle can all contribute calories without adding much volume.
15. Veggie Chips
The word veggie always throws people off. These colorful chips made with spinach, tomato, or other vegetable powders can create a healthier first impression, but many are still prepared primarily with starch and oil, giving them a calorie count similar to regular chips. Unfortunately, their vegetable content doesn’t cancel out the effects of frying or added fat.
16. Chocolate Candy Bars
Most people are aware that chocolate candy bars are by no means healthy and contain a lot of calories, but many are still shocked by just how much there actually is. For a snack that can be consumed in just a few minutes, you wouldn't think it'd be as high as it is, but when each bar contains caramel, nougat, nuts, and chocolate, those concentrated ingredients will shock you.
17. Roasted Nuts
Roasted nuts are filling and provide protein, fiber, and unsaturated fats, but portion size still matters. A serving tends to be much smaller than the amount most people pour into their hand or a snack bowl, and added oil, sugary glazes, or flavored coatings keeps the calorie count higher than most expect.
18. Rice Crisps
Rice-based snacks often look airy, thin, and lighter than conventional chips, but once oil, cheese powder, or sweet seasoning is added, their calorie count may be quite similar to other crunchy packaged foods. Don't be fooled by their "healthy" reputation; their delicate texture makes it too easy for you to eat more.
19. Dipped Granola Bites
Small granola bites might seem harmless because each piece is barely more than a mouthful, but chocolate coatings, sweet binders, nuts, and oil can make a few bites surprisingly rich and high in calories. They're a lot more calorie-dense than most people think!
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20. Snack Mix
Random snack mixes that combine crackers, pretzels, chips, cereal pieces, and flavored coatings are the biggest calorie culprits. All that oil and seasoning distributed throughout the mixture can produce a considerable calorie total, and though the variety keeps each handful interesting, it does make it harder to recognize what you're exactly consuming.
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