22 Cleanest Packaged Snacks for Kids (and adults)
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If you follow my rants on social media, you may know I’m very selective when it comes to snacks in packages for myself and my family. And in recent years, I’ve become a major critic of the United States food system in general for its….shall we say…lackadaisical guidelines and increasing lack of concern for public health? As a result, so many snacks are now brimming with industrialized seed oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and pesticides like glyphosate.(1) It would be one thing if these were all labeled as junk food, but in fact most are marketed as “healthy kid snacks”. This is completely wrong, and a post for another time.
But I get it, we need some convenience and although the products I pulled are not the single-ingredient foods I usually recommend, they still top the list for the cleanest (or healthy-er) packaged snacks for both adults and kiddos.
I tried really hard to make a combo of savory, salty, and only mildly sweet snacks since high carb, high sugar is way too easy to come by, and honestly not the best to consume on a regular basis. Since we are conditioned as babies to crave sugar, we want our children to also be able to appreciate savory, salty, sour, and eventually more complicated umami and bitter flavors since this is the best way to achieve more optimal nutrition as adults.
Here are some current favs.
All are gluten free and contain no industrialized oils/fake fats (soybean oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, wheat germ oil, safflower oil, corn oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, rice-bran oil), non caloric sweeteners, colors, or unnecessary additives. With 1 or 2 exceptions, all are dairy free as well.
Note: New products are coming out all the time, some of which I may actually like…so be sure to keep watch on my instagram stories and feed since I LOVE to find new products that fit the bill.
22 Cleanest Packaged Snacks for Kids (and Adults)
1. Figure Ate Foods: Grass fed-Grass Finished Beef Jerky
My main advice when consuming meats is that they should be wild if fish, organic if it’s poultry, and grass-fed for beef. But due to savvy marketing, companies are now marking their products as grass fed, even if they’re only fed grass once, then brought across the street to another feedlot where they’re fed grains for the remainder of life in order to achieve more monetizable weight.(2)
Dr Eric Berg reviews the very clear differences between grass fed and grass fed/grass finished beef in this quick video.
Grass fed beef contains more anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats, vitamins A & E, and one of my favorite fatty compounds, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has anti-cancer properties and is associated with proper weight management and bone health.(3)
Each of the products at Figure Ate begin by identifying an ecological need that can be addressed through regenerative agriculture, and finish as nutrient dense and delicious foods that help restore our bodies, our communities, and our ecosystem. Visit their site for their meat snacks and persimmon vinegar that are made from fully regenerative systems, and also contribute to teaching and educating others about the regenerative movement.
Great to pair with a piece of fruit on the playground, or tossed into a lunchbox.
If a beef stick is more doable for you, Tommy loves the Paleo Valley as well as the Sogo Snacks Brands.
Skip the “butter flavored” movie theater popcorn and sneak in your own! Or better yet, movie night at home. I use these when it’s our turn to cater snacks at school (once kids pass susceptible choking age), since you can also get the smaller kid-size bags which are super cute. I also love these when I’m craving something salty while working in the afternoon and have been known to polish off 2 medium sized bags, no problem;)
Made with preferred, more stable fats like ghee and/or coconut oil (a huge theme in this post) +organic popcorn. Note: This brand also contains a few varieties with added “butter flavor” so be sure to read your labels. The one I link here does not.
3. Base Culture Brownies & Bars
Known for their grain-free, paleo, bread products, Base culture delivers that rich, desired taste in all of their products by using wholesome ingredients like nut butters, coconut cream, and date paste to sweeten.
Tommy loves the Almond Butter Brownie straight out of the freezer, and the Banana Bread bars are not overly sweet, making them a perfect morning snack. If your school is not totally nut free, (since these contain almonds, cashews), these can also make great lunch box additions.
Ingredients: Honey, eggs, cashew butter, coconut oil, organic date paste, unsweetened chocolate, almond butter, coconut flour, coconut cream, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, sea salt.
The bars also contain 4 g of fiber and 6 grams of protein which is not something you often see in a sweetened snack.
4. Organic Seaweed (w avocado)
These go into the kids’ lunches at least 3 times per week!
Wonderful savory snack, and a great way to get some sea minerals in. Seaweed is packed with iodine and tyrosine (excellent for the thyroid),vitamins A, B,C & E, omega 3 fats(4), and the best part is that it’s not made with industrialized, processed oils or sodium derivatives. Just be sure to look for the avocado oil on the label (linked above),as there are many varieties to choose from.
Ingredients: organic seaweed, avocado oil, sea salt.
Similar to the product above, this company uses desirable ingredients like cassava & coconut flours and stable fats like avocado oil.
In our household, we use every single product they make including their tortillas, sauces, cookies, and beans. The chips are wonderful dipped in guacamole, hummus, or drizzled with their delightful non-dairy, cashew cheese.
The churro chips are wonderful when you’re in the mood for more of a dessert-type snack (and great to use in baking). For chips, they have chipotle, fuego, ranch, and good ole fashioned sea salt. These nacho snack size packs make excellent, dairy free alternatives to other processed snacks if you’re on the go.
6. Go Raw Sprouted Seed Snacks
Seeds are all the rage right now, especially in the gluten free world since we’ve found some wonderful ways to use them as substitutes for wheat, such as in breads and crackers.
In this case, they’re straight up, in a cute little pouch.
Sprouted seeds are those that have started to grow and generally contain less phytates (anti-nutrient found in plants) and enzyme inhibitors which means they’re also easier to assimilate and digest.
These little snack size pouches are perfect for thy purse, car glove compartment, or lunch box. We love the cinnamon since it also makes a great topper to yogurts and oatmeals.
Ingredients: Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds*, Sprouted Sunflower Seeds*, Coconut Sugar*, Cinnamon*, Vanilla Extract* | *ORGANIC INGREDIENT
7. Naturanic Freeze Dried Fruit Snacks
Yay for these fancy pants freeze dried fruit snacks. Made with sustainable Brazilian fruit, these are the actual fruits freeze dried (low temperature dehydration process) to preserve full benefits, with concentrated nutrition and flavor that provides something a bit more exciting than your typical fruit snack. These are of course not meant to replace fresh fruits and vegetables, but I find, with kids especially, switching things up often works out in our favor.
These particular snacks are great ways to introduce foods like guava seeds, camu camu, and acai, that they may not otherwise be exposed to.
We like the Brazillian Banana w the Camu Camu, Acai, and Ascerola toppings! Some of the others are a bit too woody tasting.
Note: With both freeze dried and dehydrated fruits, always pair with lots of water.
Nuts & sea salt in a beautiful, spreadable pouch. Remember at the beginning of the post when I mentioned getting in those good fats? Well this is one of those examples. Delicious spread on an apple, banana, rice cake, or seed crackers. Foods like nuts and healthy (stable) oils can help balance blood sugar and reduce episodes of “hanger”.
Tommy and Maisie love the Chocolate Macadamia of course.
Be sure to knead the pack to blend all the ingredients together before opening and store any opened packs in the fridge.
Artisana and Nuttzo also make some good nut butter packs and they come in several varieties.
10. Gaeo Organic Olives- Skip the airport food and board long flights with healthier snacks. These olives are great for travel with some sardines & crackers (not kidding;) Or how about a nice block of raw milk cheese, grapes, crackers, and these olives in a picnic basket at your favorite outdoor concert with a bottle of wine? Packaged snacks don’t have to contain any anything artificial. Some of them are whole, real foods like this one.
(Green and Kalamati;)
11. Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips
One option uses avocado oil, and one using coconut oil, whichever you prefer. Love these in place of potato chips. If you’d rather something more with a flavor of a potato chip, Tropicus Cassava chips will do the trick. I’m not even a chip girl, but do believe these are pretty tasty with palm oil used as the fat. Palm oil, like many tropical oils, is mostly saturated (w some unsaturated) and though I generally prefer more stable oils, they’re a better choice than the more refined/industrialized oils mentioned at the beginning of the post. Are you noticing a theme here? There is more to reading labels than looking at calories. In fact, calories it’s the last thing I look at. Ingredients should always come first, and the type of fat is being used tells a lot about the product.
Note: Always choose palm oil that is sustainably sourced.
12. Epic Pork Rinds
Speaking of chips, how about a crunchy chip product with no fat needed at all? That’s because the pork skin supplies all we need, along with the perfect dose of salt. Epic Provisions products have been a fan favorite of clean paleo and keto eaters for quite a while. No doubt because they have so many varieties of meat/fish snacks to choose from like beef, bison, venison, salmon (mentioned below), poultry, etc. They source their meat sustainably and use practices that support soil function, biodiversity, and ecosystem function.
Wild caught, maple glazed Alaskan salmon bites. Very tasty!
I talk a lot about the omega 6/3 ratio and how most people are way low in antiinflammatory omega 3s and high in omega 6, (pro-inflammatory). This is because so many foods are high in these fats (even healthy ones). We do need some inflammation, after all it’s how our body begins the healing process, but it's when that process goes awry that disease states can flourish, and frankly, it’s happening to way too many people (children included). In order to help balance out this ratio (closer to between 1:1- 3:1 vs the 20:1 most consume), we need more omega 3, and wild caught fish is a stellar source.
The best part about these is that they’re shelf stable, which means they’re portable, and will survive plane trips, school days, amusement park trips, and the like.
14. Lotus pops
Your pick, crunchy, savory, spicy, etc for a fun take on popcorn (without the kernel shell). This uses Water lily (lotus) seeds which have been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for their role in the treatment of tissue inflammation, cancer and skin diseases, leprosy, and poison antidote.(5)
Studies state: Embryo of lotus seeds is used in traditional Chinese medicine as Lian Zi Xin, which primarily helps to overcome nervous disorders, insomnia, and cardiovascular diseases (hypertension and arrhythmia).(5) You would of course have to consume a lot of these to achieve these effects, but I’m always happy to demonstrate validity of ingredients since we want the food we eat to provide medicine, not the other way around.
The snacks come in flavors like paprika garlic, vegan cheese, creamy coconut, chocolate, sea salt, and salted caramel all using fats like olive oil and butter (yes, actual butter.
Try the variety pack since everyone seems to have a favorite.
15. Mom’s munchies
I probably consume just as many of these as the kids do. That’s probably why they’re called Mom’s munchies. No “natural flavors” or fake plant oils which can be difficult to find in the bar/cookie world.
Try the variety pack and pop in the freezer.
Banana Carrot, Chocolate Chia Beet, and Sweet potato/apple. Yum, yum, and yum.
Ingredients: Organic Banana Puree, Organic Gluten-Free Oat Flour, Organic Gluten-Free Oats, Organic Maine Maple Syrup, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Quinoa Crisps, Organic Carrots, Organic Flax Seed, Baking Soda, Organic Pure Vanilla Extract, Organic Saigon Cinnamon, Himalayan Pink Salt, Rosemary Extract.
16. The new primal
Chicken, beef, and turkey snacks in larger, and kid sizes. The mini meat sticks have 7 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar per serving. Protein is one of the more difficult macros to get into the diet, especially when on the go.
Enter code: nutriyog for 15% off your order.
These came in quite handy when the kids had the stomach bug at the end of the summer! A cleaner pretzel for sure (grain free, nut free, paleo). They also contribute sales to autism awareness.
Ingredients: Cassava Flour, Potato Starch, Palm Oil, Tapioca Starch, Faba Bean Protein, Tapioca Syrup, Salt, Milled Flax, Sunflower Lecithin
The palm oil is RSPO sustainable which is important since palm oil is a major driver of deforestation. Sunflower lecithin is a powder derived from sunflowers, not to be confused with soy lecithin which uses chemicals like hexane and acetone.(6) Also not to be confused with sunflower oil (the liquid after separation) which is a very processed industrialized seed oil and sadly in a billion organic products marketed as healthy. It’s difficult to avoid this ingredient 100% of the time, but rest assured, none of the products in this post contain it.
18. Cheese Snacks: If your family tolerates dairy, these are our favorite things to pair with an apple!
Proudly Pure Parmesan Cheese Crisps
These products, (though not labeled organic) are basically just cheese, enzymes, & spices (if flavored) with no other added oils. I have not yet found an organic dried snack cheese but will be giving it a try the second I do. In the meantime, we mostly do organic cheese sticks (string cheese) from grocery store, our favorite raw milk cheese sticks from a local company, or something like La Clare Creamery goat milk cheese cut up into cubes. Another good source of protein and fat to achieve satiety, and balanced blood sugar. Because this post is more about on-the-go snacks, I skipped perishable items like yogurts this time around.
These organic crackers are a no-brainer. Seeds are an excellent source of zinc, magnesium, fiber, and B vitamins and are 100% school friendly.
Ingredients: Top Seedz Seed Mix (Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Chia Seeds, Hemp Seeds), Arrowroot, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt
Works great as a dipper for nut butter, guacamole, hummus, or use the seeds on their own in a salad, yogurt, or on top of oatmeal.
20. White leaf provisions apple sauce
One of my favorite certifications, Certified Glyphosate Free, and Organic, the kids love the apple & pear sauce. It’s also the easiest lunchbox snack ever! Apples and Pears are always on my organic list since they’re often sprayed until they’re shiny and glossy (it’s pretty wild when you compare the differences at the grocery store). The fruits used at White Leaf are not altered, overly processed, or sprayed, and the ingredients are just: biodynamic apples and biodynamic pears. Biodynamic is a well-earned fancy term for revolutionary organic farming methods that involve the maintenance of soil fertility, water conservation, diversification of crops, and other sustainable practices that not only lead to more nutritious food, but are better for the environment.(7)
21. Fruit Roll ups/Fruit Leather
Keep in mind, it’s super easy to make these at home using a dehydrator and whole fruits, but in a pinch, if you need a fun addition to the lunch box, here are a few brands that made the cut.
22. Crunchy Rollers (Friendly Grains)
This is a cute little rice snack that’s certified organic with minimal ingredients. Though very low in protein and fat, it can make a great lunchbox addition when paired with other foods.
Ingredients: Organic whole grain brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, organic cane sugar, agar.
Note: We use this product in moderation for brown rice syrup is technically a highly refined sugar made from (you guessed it), brown rice. Brown rice has a higher content of arsenic than I like to see (about 50% more than white rice) which can be problematic for folks with higher toxic loads. Arsenic is a known carcinogen that can wreak havoc on many systems of the body and cause neurological, renal, and cardiovascular issues.(8)
What we need to remember is that it’s the dose that makes the poison, and each rice snack separately won’t contain a significant amount. That said, we need to evaluate our diets (especially the gluten free community since many wheat products use rice as substitutes) and be sure we’re getting as much variety as possible.
A note on Protein Bars
In recent years, Tommy, (7 at the time of this post) has developed a slight obsession with bars, so needless to say he’s a connoisseur;) His taste does change often which I think is a good thing because as I always mention, it’s a good way to keep variety in the diet. For this reason, I will most likely devote an entire post on protein/granola bars and their pros and cons in the near future.
For now, let’s just say ingredients should be from whole, real foods (no added sugars, isolates, colors, or non-caloric sweeteners), and provide a balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein, with a nice amount of fiber (3-4 per serving minimum).
Want to save money on more healthy products?
References
1.The poison in our daily bread: Glyphosate contamination widespread in essential foods. The Detox Project. Published February 22, 2022. Accessed August 9, 2022. https://detoxproject.org/the-poison-in-our-daily-bread-glyphosate-contamination-widespread-in-essential-foods/
2.Burros M. USDA says products can be labeled “grass-fed” even if animals are feedlot raised & fed hormones & antibiotics. Accessed September 4, 2022. https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/usda-says-products-can-be-labeled-grass-fed-even-if-animals-are-feedlot-raised-fed-hormones
3.Spiritfoods. Grass-Fed Beef: The King of Conjugated Linoleic Acid. Spiritfoods. Published May 31, 2017. Accessed September 4, 2022. http://spiritfoods.net/health-benefits-of-grass-fed-beef/
4.Rajapakse N, Kim SK. Chapter 2 - Nutritional and Digestive Health Benefits of Seaweed. In: Kim SK, ed. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. Vol 64. Academic Press; 2011:17-28.
5. Paudel KR, Panth N. Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of Nelumbo nucifera. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:789124. doi:10.1155/2015/789124
6. Difference between soy lecithin and sunflower lecithin. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. Published July 23, 2019. Accessed September 6, 2022. https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-soy-lecithin-and-sunflower-lecithin/
7. Agrifarming Biodynamic Farming, 2022 https://www.agrifarming.in/biodynamic-farming-principles-preparations-advantages#:~:text=%20The%20principles%20of%20biodynamic%20farming%20include%3A%20,in%20farming%20is%20also%20the%20main...%20More%20
8. Center for Food Safety, Nutrition A. Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products Risk Assessment. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed September 6, 2022. https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-risk-safety-assessments/arsenic-rice-and-rice-products-risk-assessment