Have you reached in your pantry lately and read a label on one of your bagged processed foods? How many ingredients do you see? Do you even know what all the ingredients are that are listed? It’s a little scary, right?
Real, unprocessed food is always the healthiest choice for you and your family. I strongly recommend cutting down on all processed foods in your house and choosing unprocessed food first when possible. However, I know we all want (and sometimes need) convenience snacks that can be pulled out of the pantry occasionally or taken on the go.
I’ve put a quick list together of healthier processed food snack choices for you and your family. These are all salty snacks. However, I do encourage you to limit these and not use these as a crutch every day for you or your kids. We don’t keep many processed foods in our home, and we definitely limit consumption. We reach for simple, real food as much as possible.
Why are these snacks cleaner and healthier?
The snacks I selected are cooked with safer oils that are much less inflammatory for your body than typical processed foods that contain oils like soybean, corn, canola, safflower, and more. These snacks have fewer ingredients with little to no preservatives. These are mostly grain free with the exception of the popcorn. I only recommend organic corn or organic popcorn if you are going to consume it. Grain free diets have been shown to help inflammation, gut health, weight loss or weight management, mood and anxiety, and more.
Where can I find these snacks?
Many of these are available at Earthfare, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Amazon (affiliate links included below), Vitacost, Thrive Market, Jet.com and more. I don’t really shop at Kroger or Publix anymore, so I’m not sure if they carry any of these brands.
Note: the best prices on Amazon for most of these are typically found by buying in bulk. If you shop Amazon, you know their prices can be higher on some things individually. Make sure you price compare on the sites I referenced and check your local stores to get the best prices. In the grocery stores, I look for sales on a lot of these items and buy several at a time to save.
Yes, I know these are more expensive than other snacks. There is a reason. The ingredients are safer, better and higher quality. It is your choice what you choose to eat. These are just my recommendations.
NUT, DAIRY, GLUTEN, SOY, AND SUGAR FREE
Chip varieties:
- Jackson’s Honest Sweet Potato Chips made with Organic Coconut oil, Sweet potatoes, and sea salt Buy here for Amazon Fresh (groceries) or Buy here
- Jackson’s Honest Potato Chips made with Non-GMO potatoes, Organic Coconut oil, and sea salt Buy here
- Good health Kettle Style chips made with Avocado Oil , Potatoes and sea salt Buy here
- Inka Chips Plantain Chips made with plantains, palm olein, and sea salt Buy here
- Artisan Tropic* Cassava (Yuca) Chips made with Cassava, non-hydrogenated palm oil and sea salt (these remind me of thin potato chips but a healthier version.) Buy here
- Artisan Tropic*Plantain Strips made with Plantains, non-hydrogenated palm oil and sea salt (these are my favorite of the group.) Buy here
- Artisan Tropic* sampler pack Buy here
- Boulder Canyon Kettle Cooked Potato Chips made with potatoes, coconut oil, and sea salt Buy here
- Boulder Canyon Kettle Cooked Potato Chips made with potatoes, avocado oil, and sea salt Buy here
- Lesser Evil Buddha Bowl Foods Avocado-Licious made with Organic Non-GMO popcorn, Extra virgin avocado oil, organic coconut oil and Himalayan salt Buy Here
- Lesser Evil Buddha Bowl Foods Coconut Oil Popcorn made with Organic Non-GMO popcorn, organic coconut oil Buy here
- Siete Sea Salt Tortilla Chips contains Cassava Flour, Avocado oil, Coconut flour, Ground chia seed and sea salt Buy here
- Sprouts original plantain chips made with palm oil and plantains (purchase at Sprouts Farmer’s Market)
*Peanut and nut free facility and certified gluten free and Non-GMO
My family has grown to love plantains, so plantain chips are typically our snack of choice when processed food is consumed. My husband used to be very fond of the popcorn listed above for an occasional snack, but he’s mostly cut all corn back out of his diet.
DAIRY, GLUTEN, SOY, NUT, AND SUGAR FREE
Crackers:
- Simple Mills Sprouted Seed Crackers: Sprouted seed blend (sunflower, flax, chia), tapioca, cassava, hemp seeds, sea salt, sunflower oil, rosemary extract Buy here
DAIRY, GLUTEN, SOY, AND SUGAR FREE
Crackers (contain nuts):
- Simple Mills Sea Salt Almond Flour Crackers (gluten free and vegan): Nut and seed flour blend (almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds), Tapioca, Cassava, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Rosemary, Sea Salt, Organic Onion, Organic Garlic, Organic Pepper, Rosemary Extract Buy here
I hope these products help you make some healthier choices for you and your family. Please stay tuned for more snack suggestions.
