Snacks can be a lifesaver when life routines unexpectedly change. However, our snack choices often exacerbate chronic inflammation or health conditions, making this a prime opportunity for improvement.
In our society, snacking accounts for about one-third of daily calorie intake among adults and children.
Many snacks are low in nutrients like fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants and high in calories from sugar, fat, and low-fiber carbohydrates. Convenient, packaged snacks like chips, cookies, crackers, ice cream, and candy are pro-inflammatory.
Swapping up to one-third of your daily intake for healthy, anti-inflammatory snacks is one way to improve your diet. Better yet, if the snacks require no preparation or can be purchased ready-to-go.
Here are the criteria for picking out a snack and 10 dietitian-recommended anti-inflammatory snacks you can buy at your local grocery store.
What to Look for in Anti-Inflammatory Snacks
Start by changing your snack mindset. View these eating instances as mini-meals that include protein, fiber, and fruits or vegetables with a purposeful goal of taming (or down-shifting) inflammation.
Balanced snacks will fill you up, provide energy between meals, and prevent overeating. Try to space snacks about 2 to 3 hours after a meal and before your next meal to help with blood sugar regulation, typical hunger cues, and digestion.
A reasonable snack estimate includes about 7 to 10 grams of protein, at least 2 grams of fiber, less than 5 grams of added sugar, and 150 to 250 calories per snack. This estimate is a general starting guideline. You may need more or less for snacks.
Keeping a snack below 5 grams of added sugar will help you stay within the daily American Heart Association goal of less than 36 grams of added sugar.
Choose snacks with antioxidants, phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds), omega-3 fats, and fiber. Limit inflammatory fats (omega-6), processed meats, added sugar, and refined (low-fiber, highly processed) grains.
Finding a pre-made snack that fits this criteria can feel like finding a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, you can choose fruits, vegetables, and protein options off my printable anti-inflammatory foods lists (PDF) or grab my 7-day free meal plan with snacks for ideas at the bottom of the article.
Keep reading for 10 dietitian-recommended anti-inflammatory snacks you can buy at your local grocery store.
10 Dietitian-Recommended Anti-Inflammatory Snacks
I gathered anti-inflammatory snacks that require no prep or can be purchased ready-to-eat at your local store.
1. Unsweetened Trail Mix
Try Power Up Premium Trail Mix, which contains unsweetened raisins, roasted almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds. For a filling snack, it can be used alone or added to oatmeal or yogurt.
Why I Like It
- A quarter-cup serving provides 200 calories, 2 g of fiber, no added sugar, and 7 g of protein.
- Nuts and seeds contain omega-3 fats, protein, and fiber.
- Trail mix is shelf-stable once opened for one to two months (great option for work bags, desk snacks, and for your vehicle if you travel often).
2. Freeze-Dried Fruit
Keep a few packets of freeze-dried strawberries in your cabinet for busy days or when you are out of fresh fruit. While not chips, they can help satisfy a desire for crunchy foods. Pair the fruit with a protein option like low-fat cheese, almonds, or a hard-boiled egg.
Why I Like It
- One packet (one ounce) is 110 calories, 5 g of fiber, no added sugar, and 10% of the daily value for potassium.
- Freeze drying preserves most of the antioxidants and nutrients in strawberries.
- It is a shelf-stable snack for all ages.
3. Healthy Meat Sticks and Fruit
For a high-protein portable snack, choose meat sticks or jerky with less than 20% of the daily value for sodium. Chomps makes grass-fed, grass-finished, unprocessed beef sticks with simple seasonings, which pair well with fruit for fiber and more nutrients.
Why I Like It
- One stick provides 100 calories, no added sugar, and 10 g of protein.
- Portable snacks that don’t require refrigeration help you make beneficial snack choices.
- They have other meat options: turkey, venison, and mini-sizes for kids.
4. Tuna Pouches and Whole Grain Crackers
Bumble Bee makes wild-caught, lower-sodium tuna packets that don’t require draining, some with seasoning and some without. Pair with whole-grain crackers for filling fiber.
Why I Like It
- Each packet has 80 calories, 17 g of protein, 80% of the daily value for niacin, 10% for vitamin B6, and 90% for both vitamin B12 and selenium.
- Wild-caught skip-jack tuna is a good source of omega-3 fat, which reduces inflammation.
- Another shelf-stable, portable protein option.
5. Greek Yogurt and Frozen Berries
Opt for Greek yogurt with no added sugar (all unsweetened plain Greek yogurt) or low in added sugar, like Chobani Less Sugar Madagascar Vanilla & Cinnamon. Top with some frozen berries for a quick, no-prep snack.
Why I Like It
- One 5.3-ounce Less Sugar Chobani yogurt container has 120 calories, 12 g of protein, and 5 g of added sugar.
- Fermented, low-sugar dairy helps reduce inflammation in the stomach.
- Easy to grab and lightly sweetened for people who can’t stomach unsweetened yogurt.
6. Apples and Peanut Butter
This classic snack is filling because of the fiber in the apple and the peanut butter. Natural peanut butter also has healthy fats and protein and is low in salt.
Why I Like It
- Apples last longer than other fruits and are portable.
- Peanut butter is tasty at room temperature or melted for a dipping sauce.
- Two tablespoons of natural peanut butter contains 190 calories, 3 g of fiber, no added sugar, and 8 g of protein.
7. Sargento Balanced Breaks
Pre-portioned and packaged snacks help eliminate any barriers to a healthy snack. Sargento Balanced Breaks serves natural cheddar cheese, roasted cashews, and golden raisins for a portable snack break.
Why I Like It
- One serving has 180 calories, no added sugar, 1 g of fiber, 7 g of protein, and 10% of the daily value for calcium.
- Nuts, dried fruit, and cheese all contain anti-inflammatory components.
- Sometimes, a pre-portioned snack is the right option for a snack, and they have several varieties of cheese, nuts, and dried fruit.
8. Edamame
Edamame is a plant powerhouse that provides a balanced mix of the three macronutrients plus fiber to help you stay full. Keep frozen bags of edamame to steam quickly on the stove or microwave. You can eat refrigerated leftovers, too.
Why I Like It
- One cup of cooked edamame provides 224 calories, 18 g of protein, 12 g of fat, 14 g of carbohydrate, and 8 g of fiber (one-third of your daily fiber needs).
- Edamame is loaded with vitamins and minerals. It provides 115% of the daily folate requirement, 59% of the daily copper requirement, 24% of the daily magnesium requirement, and 20% of the daily iron and phosphorus requirement.
- The antioxidant isoflavone found in edamame can lower inflammation levels.
9. Nuts
Nuts like walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts are simple filling snack options to keep on hand. They can help reduce inflammation, and consuming five or more one-ounce servings weekly can prevent inflammation-related diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
Why I Like It
- Nuts contain polyphenols known for reducing inflammation in the body.
- One ounce of nuts has about 160 calories, 14 g of mostly unsaturated and heart-healthy fat, 6 g of protein, and 3 g of fiber.
- Nuts are packed with vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, copper, riboflavin, zinc, and niacin.
10. Go-Macro Bars
The full-size bars are a larger snack or could be paired with some fruit for a meal replacement option. The MacroBar Minis are the perfect snack size. They are similar to my no-bake, no-mess energy bite recipe but are pre-packaged and shelf-stable.
Why I Like It
- The mini bars contain 110 calories, 4 g of fat, 4 g of protein, 1g of fiber, and 4 g of added sugar. The full-size bars are 280 calories, 11 g of fat, 11 g of protein, 2 g of fiber, and 10 g of added sugar.
- This brand has over 15 different flavors that are vegan and gluten-free. They also have nut-free options to accommodate allergies.
- Use these bars as a good option on busy days with no time for meal prep. They can prevent you from stopping by fast food or eating inflammatory snack foods.
Takeaway
One way to boost antioxidants in your body is to swap any of your inflammatory snacks for anti-inflammatory snacks. Most Americans consume one-third of their daily intake from snack foods.
To simplify the transition, try these ten no-prep or pre-packaged snacks from your local store.
This way, you can focus your energy on cooking meals using more anti-inflammatory ingredients with my free printable anti-inflammatory foods list (PDF).
Read more about anti-inflammatory dinners and a quick meal-planning visual to fast-track your progress.
Let’s get UNstuck and stay UNstuck!