4 crunchy snacks to satisfy a craving

Kashi Snack Crackers

Kashi Snack Crackers in Fire Roasted Vegetable have seven whole grains (oats, wheat, triticale, rye, brown rice, barley and buckwheat). A serving ?(10 crackers) has 80 calories, 3 g fat (0 g saturated fat) and 135 mg sodium. They have no artificial colours or flavours. Also available in toasted Asiago. ($4, 255 g)

I really like these crackers. I’m usually a plain Jane when it comes to snacks and prefer non-spicy foods. But these have a subtle spicy kick, and tasted delicious alone and with a spinach dip appetizer I served to guests recently. I’m watching my family’s salt intake these days and like that these are low in sodium.
-Jennifer Walker, Sr. Content Editor

Ozery’s Pita Break Crispy Pitas

Ozery’s Pita Break Crispy Pitas in organic spelt with flax are snack-size and made with whole grains. A 50-g serving has 240 calories, 8 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat) and 430 mg sodium (no artificial flavours or colour). Other varieties are cranberry pumpkin seed, rosemary garlic and organic wheat. ($4, 170 g)

These were very crispy, and had a toasted whole-grain flavour that I really liked. Recently I had planned on serving them with a creamy cheese to guests, but found that they were great on their own-and would definitely make a lower-fat option than potato chips for movie nights, though I’d prefer they were lower in sodium.
-Margaret Nearing, Senior Editor

Grok Grana Padano Cheese Snacks

Grok Grana Padano Cheese Snacks in Gusto Classico are a new type of snack altogether. Billed as a “healthy cheese snack” and imported from Italy, these are bite-size pieces of oven-baked Grana Padano (similar to Parmesan). Each 12-g snack-size bag has 60 calories, 4 g fat (2.5 g satur-?ated fat) and 85 mg sodium. ($5-$6, 72 g)

When these were sent to our office, I had a hard time getting my head around the concept: oven-baked cheese snacks? How could they be healthy? Especially since they tasted out-of-this-world delicious. But they are surprisingly low in calories, and, uniquely, contain the equivalent of 300 mL of milk in each serving. Cool.
-Bonnie Munday, Editor-in-Chief

Popcorn, Indiana’s Chip’Ins

Popcorn, Indiana’s Chip’Ins in White Cheddar is an air-popped “popcorn chip,” a healthier alternative to traditional chips. A 28-g serving has 130 calories, 4 g fat (0 g sat-urated fat) and 210 mg sodium. They have no artificial flavours or colours, and no preservatives. Other flavours are jalapeño, sea salt, ranch, hot Buffalo wing and BBQ. ($4-$5, 205 g)

When it comes to snacking, I crave crunch, but I try to avoid potato chips. These more than satisfy that craving. They aren’t artificial tasting, and they also have a subtle zest. With all of the health benefits of popcorn (it’s a whole grain, is high in fibre and polyphenols, and has far less fat than chips), I’ll be buying these again.
-Jennifer Masseau, Associate Editor

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