SNACK CHAT
I did a poll on Instagram & 98% of you wanted a nuanced snack post. I’m going to chat about some snack nuance, how I pick better processed options, why I don’t agree with fruit as a snack alone & my thoughts on the recent avocado oil findings.
For regular meals our goal should be to eat enough fat/protein/carb/fiber to keep us full for hours and not snacking in between. In an ideal world that would be wonderful to meet daily. I strive to make this my goal but it’s also not realistic every single day. Throw kids into the mix and it gets harder.
If you are a parent who NEVER lets their kids snack, congrats! You’re an A++ parent & better than everyone else. This chat is not for you. 😝
To everyone else— without belaboring the point, we shouldn’t be surviving on snacks alone but there are some ways to make snack time better.
There are two types of snack categories I lump things into: refrigerated/cooled and not. Sometimes you can get away with something like a hard boiled egg or cheese but other times due to circumstances, you just need something shelf stable.
Refrigerated snacks are slightly easier because those typically have fewer ingredient labels. (Fruit, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, avocado, hummus etc..) You still need to read labels on packaged items & be mindful of sourcing but there’s not much to a fresh food’s label.
The pantry snacks are where it gets a bit trickier. My advice here is to strive for “better” options when you can and when your budget allows.
Things I personally look for/assess:
No folic acid. This is pretty much a non-negotiable for me.
No artificial flavors.
Organic ingredients (to reduce glyphosate exposure)
Short ingredient labels
Ingredients I can pronounce that are mostly real food
No seed oils (I’ll address the new study findings later)
No dyes
Macro-nutrient profile
Sugar content
I’m sure there are others I am forgetting but that’s a good general list.
My snack suggestions would be:
Snack for blood sugar balance
Don’t let fruit be a snack alone. A banana has 14 grams of sugar. A cup of grapes has 15 grams. A lot of people opt to only allow fresh fruit as a snack & on their own, that is just going to contribute to a huge blood sugar spike. Certain fruits are better than others & I am NOT saying not to eat fruits. Fruits have fiber and tons of other minerals and nutrients we need. They should be paired with a protein/fat to help reduce that blood sugar spike.
Prioritize fat/protein in general. We don’t need to be protein maxing our toddlers but we also don’t want to just load them up with carbs either. Beef sticks are a good snack option (I do try to avoid cured meats but beef sticks are such a good protein/fat rich snack). If you’re going to have crackers or an apple, pair with cheese or nut butter for example.
Avoid dry fruit. This is just straight sugar and super sticky.
Learn to read the back of the label, not what’s on the front of the box.
Marketing buzz words on the front should be scrutinized and tested against the back of the label.
A “clean” ingredient label does not automatically mean a healthy snack. I love Skout bars & Purely Elizabeth granola. Both have great ingredients but that doesn’t mean they are great as a stand alone snack due to sugar content.
Reading labels is second nature to me now but if you’re a beginner, look at the back and see if you recognize the ingredients as food or chemical concoctions. 5 ingredients or less with whole food ingredients is a good go-by to start with.
Read the label but also try to learn what is also NOT said on the label to look out for. Things like: where raw ingredients are sourced from, how crops are grown, how animals are taken care of, etc…. These can take time to learn to decipher. (I’m always happy to help here!)
Don’t snack all day
Snacking all day long means that your meals aren’t substantial enough. If you’re consistently needing food between meals, assess what your meals look like and try to bulk them up.
Snacking all day is horrible for dental health as it messed with the ph of your mouth and doesn’t give your oral microbiome time to rest just like your gut and digestive system. If you take your kids to the dentist and they have lots of cavities, it’s worth checking out their eating frequency. (There is SO much more to cavities than snacking but since we’re chatting snacks I just wanted to mention it here as a factor.)
Use a snack as a snack, it doesn’t need to be a full meal. A snack should be used to tide you over & that’s it. Don’t overdo it.
Buy a snack bag that can be frozen like a Pack It box or grab some cute ice packs to make bringing fresh snacks earlier on the go when possible. These would be great to send to school/camp/sports for kiddos. Fresh food is usually going to be a better option and it should be less processed most of the time.
Sometimes eating a “bad” snack is better than not eating at all so lastly, don’t stress if you have a bad snack day. Sometimes my kids get a random bar for a snack that’s not ideal. You’re also not alone if you have a toddler who continually asks for snacks no matter what you feed them at meals. You also know your budget, family and lifestyle best so take everything you see online (including this post 😉 ) with a grain of salt.
My thoughts on the UC Davis 2026 avocado oil study:
I first want to give a note on why people keep saying to “avoid seed oils” as it has become a trendy thing to say but a lot of people might not realize the why behind it.
Seed oils like canola, soybean, etc… should be avoided due to how they are sourced/processed as well as their omega content. We need both omega 6’s and omega 3’s but we need them in a ratio of around 1:1-4:1. The typical American diet is closer to 16:1 which is extremely out of whack! An unbalanced ratio is what can lead to health issues so the goal is to minimize the junky processed foods full of these oils.
Avocado oil is widely known to be an oil that can be tainted and mixed with seed oils. Even knowing that, it’s unfortunate that so many brands appear to not have done due diligence. (I’m choosing to believe that for now until further information comes out. I don’t believe every single brand was nefariously diluting their products. Right now I’m leaning towards the supplier doing this but will reserve any final thoughts until hearing from brands.)
This is a good reminder for us all to email brands and demand transparency. Chips are not a health food by any means (the study covered more than just chips as an FYI though) so if you only occasional eat them I wouldn’t stress! We’re true Texans so we eat Mexican food at least once a week so tortilla chips are a more frequent item for us. Due to that I’ll be switching over and buying from a more trusted brand. You do what works for your family though!
I do think it’s okay to eat a seed oil every now and then. I wouldn’t say that regular consumption is okay but I think sometimes people get SO afraid that they end up becoming so stressed about food that it’s a negative thing. We personally love some Annie’s bunnies as an occasional treat and that’s okay. 👍🏻 We have personally almost stopped eating out at restaurants on a regular basis as well because restaurants use low quality oils because they’re cheaper. My husband and I both do not feel well after eating out so for us, that’s not worth it except for on occasion.
I’ve listed some seed oil free chips and crackers below but please be sure to reach out to brands before you buy to inquire about their sourcing and purity testing.
Seed oil free chips and crackers:
Vaca Tortilla Chips: Made with Tallow, several flavors, subscription comes out to roughly $7.50/bag
Masa Tortilla Chips:These are expensive but the taste does not disappoint! We love these. Hatch Chile is our favorite, subscription comes out to roughly $11/bag. Also found at Sprouts.
Gheelish Tortilla Chips: Made with ghee, I already emailed them to ask about their ghee sourcing & they gave me the supplier name, very impressed with their response, $6/bag at my local Sprouts
Rustic Bakery Crackers: These are delicious! Made with olive oil and sourdough.
Xaca Cantina Tortilla Chips: Made with beef tallow, they do have separate avocado oil chips as well, subscription comes out to $8/bag
Sina Crisps: More like a potato chip, made with coconut oil, subscription brings it to $7-$9 a bag
Norse Roots: Potato chip style, price varies, made with Tallow, I have seen these at my local Sprouts
Simple Mills: Sweet Thins and Sweet Bursts only. These are absolutely amazing! We love them all. Made with coconut oil, their other crackers are made with sunflower oil though . Found at several stores these days.
Unique Pretzels: Another delicious option! Check the labels because some have yucky oils but I like the sprouted ones made with olive oil. Price varies, I have bought on Amazon before.
Tortiyas Chips: made with tallow, $8/ bag
Snack Ideas:
Beans (cheap, can be eaten cold, amazing source of protein and fiber)
Cottage cheese (super high in protein!)
Cheese
Beef sticks > chomps/paleo valley are good
Fruit > paired with a healthy fat/protein
Nuts
Crackers and cheese/hummus/guacamole
Avocado
Hard boiled eggs
Popcorn - Lesser Evil brand
Once upon a farm oatmeal bars (for toddlers but I love these myself! & can be found at Costco)
Purely Elizabeth granola- paired with protein/fat
Greek yogurt
Burger patty
Simple Mills bars
Protein bar> low sugar and no junk. Lineage & Rawr are good ones
Protein shake > Just Ingredients, Promix or Sava are good. Bayley discount code works for Just Ingredients.
Coconut rolls > found at Costco
I hope this post helped you learn about some better snack options. Please always reach out with any questions. I’ll be regularly adding to all my seed oil favorites here.
If you’re new to my blog- hi! I’m Bayley. I’m all about sharing health and wellness information from a nuanced view. I’d love to have you join me over @thetoxinfreetexan.
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8/17/2026