Twinkies, pork rinds, doughnuts, pastries, nachos, cotton candy, oh my.  These are a few of the snacks that registered dietitians (RDs) say would be better to never cross your lips. 

Since more than 90 percent of pistachios are eaten as a snack, I’ve become an expert on snack stats.  For example, did you know that 90 percent of us snack on any given day and that 25 percent of our total calories come from snack foods?  Recently, I wanted to find out what other registered dietitian (RD) colleagues think are the worst snacks for Americans’ health.  We conducted an informal survey to find out. 

Here are some of the snacks that the RDs felt were the most damaging for your health, those that can ruin even the best of diets.

Between-Meal Noshes to Nix:

1. Liquid calories. Soda, as well as fruit drinks, punches, aids or fruit-flavored powders.  This comes as no surprise since these liquid calories are not filling and provide no health benefit whatsoever.  They are pure liquid energy—in the form of added sweeteners, generally from high fructose corn syrup.

2. Movie Theatre Treats.  Whether it’s the Mike & Ike’s, Twizzlers, Dibs, or buttery popcorn, the portions are always ginormous, leading to excess calories, no matter what you choose.  Unless you can share with a family of five, avoid the temptation of theatre eats.  Vending machine options were also high on the RDs’ “No Snack Zone” list as well.  Pistachios are a convenient snack (and can be stashed stealth-mode in a purse or pocket), making them the perfect movie snack sub.

3. Cheesy Nachos and Chips.  Nachos are on the RD “Do Not Snack” list because of the loads of saturated fat-rich cheese and sour cream that are smothered on top of the tortilla chips.  Potato chips and any other fried chips are shunned by RDs as well.  They suggest looking for chips that are baked or air-popped and contain less than 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving.  A serving of 49 pistachios may also help curb that savory, crunchy urge and you’re gut (and heart) will thank you for it.

4. 100-Calorie Packs.  Many dietitians suggest that the 100-calorie packs of our favorite crackers, cookies and baked goods are, well, a waste of 100 calories.  A better option?  Enjoy 30 pistachios for those 100 calories and get more than 30 different vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. 

5. Doughnuts and Pastries (e.g Pop-tarts and single serve baked goods).  No surprises here, but there are many types of cinnamon rolls and other sweet baked goods that are being passed off as good snack options.  A Cinnabon roll may pack in more than 1,000 calories, which makes it calorically more similar to two meals’ worth of calories.  Healthful “snacks” should be limited to about 200 calories.

Kelly Plowe, MS, RD

Although she still remains a Boston sports fan, Kelly has changed her east-coast ways, adapting to the California lifestyle.