HealthNews Dozen: 12 Healthy Snacks

Cooking Light recently released an article on “Dietician-Approved Healthy Snacks” and while some of the choices are obvious, others are downright scrumptious and easy to make, and all are easy to find at your local supermarket.

1. Chocolate hazelnut bark
2. Warm Cranberry-Walnut Brie
3. Rosemary Roasted Almonds
4. Pecan Almond Peanut Clusters
5. Vitatops
6. Whole fruit
7. Popcorn
8. Olives
9. Hummus with carrots
10. Edamame
11. Bagel with peanut butter
12. Yogurt

Among the tastiest of the snacks is the chocolate hazelnut bark, a sweet treat consisting of chocolate, dried cherries, ginger and hazelnuts. Dark chocolate is an antioxidant that can help decrease risk of stroke, heart attack, while ginger aids in digestion and has been used to treat arthritis. Hazelnuts are high in protein and fiber, contain “good" or unsaturated fat, and can help in keeping your cholesterol level down. Cherries are also an antioxidant and contain lycopene, vitamin A, and beta-carotene, all helpful for boosting the immune system and the prevention of bad cholesterol. What’s not to like. There’s even a recipe for you to make your own.

The Warm Cranberry-Walnut Brie caught me off guard, as brie is one cheese that is high in fat. But by adding in the antioxidant cranberries and high-protein nuts and serving it with whole wheat crackers, it can make you feel you are being naughty and decadant while keeping the calorie count down.

Almonds are a healthy snack, but can be a bit boring. Adding just a few ingredients spices things up and the flavors pair well with wine and cheese, or anytime eating. Rosemary Toasted Almonds can be found commercially prepared (check Trader Joes) or you can make your own in less than 20 minutes (see recipe below).

The Pecan Almond Peanut Clusters are one of the few commercial items on the list. Made by True North, the combination of nuts make these heart healthy, high in protein and fiber, as well as containing unsaturated fat. Bound together by brown rice syrup and organic sugar gives them a sweet crunchy flavor you are sure to enjoy. Vitatops is the other commercial item, essentially a muffin top that only contains 100 calories and 5 grams of fiber. What I love about these is that there are 16 different flavors, including two flavors that are sugar-free and low-carb. Try the dark chocolate-pomegranate, banana nut, fudgy peanut butter or apple crumb.

Whole fruit is an easy slam dunk – can be toted around in your purse or briefcase and comes in a lot of varieties, especially during summer. Under 100 calories and a good source of fiber, Cooking Light put this on the list because whole fruit helps to keep you feeling fuller longer. So don’t forget that peach, plum, apple, banana, orange or apricot next time you head out the door.

Popcorn and olives help to satisfy crunch and salt cravings. 100-calorie popcorn packs are easy to find and having them be pre-portioned takes any guesswork out of the equation. If you pop your own, 3 1/2 cups should do the trick, as long as you don’t slather on the butter. As for olives, it takes about 20 to make 100 heart-healthy calories and most supermarkets now have olive bars so you can mix and match (and maybe serve them with that cranberry-walnut brie?).