Watch Out for These “Healthy” Vending Snacks

Tis’ the season for holiday cookies and candies, rich foods, and festive drinks. All of which add up to a higher than normal caloric intake.

To help keep waistlines trim and in check, low-fat and low-calorie options around the office are a must. Nuts, fruits, and juices are healthy right? Healthier, yes, but salt, fat, sugar, and caloric content of these options should be weighed against nutritional gain.

It is a great idea to encourage healthier vending machine options, but here are a few snacks you might want to avoid and why:

Dried fruit: At first glance, this sweet option has 67 calories and 17 carbs per serving, however, one serving is equivalent to a tablespoon. For example, a 6-ounce bag of Deerfield Farms Fruit Mix Dried Fruit has 4.5 servings in one bag, which equals 540 calories, and 139.5 carbs. Dried fruit is a fat-free snack, but the calorie count rivals a drive thru menu.

Nuts: The right handful (1 to 1.5 ounces) can offer sufficient omega-3 fats (walnuts), fiber (almonds), protein, and even help lower bad LDL cholesterol according to the Journal of Nutrition. But beware the serving size: One cup of mixed nuts may hold 886 calories, almost 81 grams of fat, and 32 carbs.

Pumpkin seeds: This salty treat can be a good source of protein, magnesium, and zinc. But considering Eden Foods 4-ounce bag of pumpkin seeds has 200 calories and 16 grams of fat per fourth-cup, it’s easy to go overboard.

Orange Juice: The vitamin C in a glass of orange juice is great for the immune system, but an 8 ounce bottle of Tropicana Pure Premium has about 110 calories, 25 carbs, and 23 grams of sugar. A bottle of water has zero sugar, carbs, and calories.

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