How to choose a healthy snack in the supermarket
How to choose healthy snacks in the supermarket: label thresholds for sugar and salt, whether protein bars are healthy, and low sugar snacks that keep you full.
By the Green Point editorial teamUpdated 6 min readKey takeaways
- A good snack keeps you full until your next meal: look for protein, fiber and whole-food ingredients, with little added sugar or salt.
- Compare products per 100 g: over 22.5 g sugar, 5 g saturated fat or 1.5 g salt is high by UK traffic-light standards.
- Protein bars, granola bars and flavored yogurts can be as sweet as desserts, so check the label rather than the "healthy" claims.
- Simple snacks often win: fruit, plain yogurt, unsalted nuts, vegetables with hummus or plain popcorn.
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A healthy store-bought snack is one that fills you up without much added sugar, salt or saturated fat. Turn the pack over and compare per 100 g: aim for low sugar (5 g or less), some protein and fiber, and a short ingredient list built on whole foods such as nuts, oats, fruit or yogurt. Front-of-pack claims like "natural" or "protein" don't make a snack healthy.
What makes a snack healthy?
Snacks are not bad in themselves. A good one can bridge a long gap between meals, stop you arriving at dinner starving and add nutrients you might otherwise miss. What matters is what is in it and how much you eat.
- Protein and fiber help you feel full for longer. Nuts, seeds, yogurt, cheese, eggs, beans, oats and whole fruit all bring one or both.
- Little added sugar. Sugary snacks give quick energy and leave you hungry again soon.
- Not too salty. Many savory snacks are a major hidden source of salt.
- Whole-food ingredients. The fewer and more recognizable the ingredients, the less likely the snack is ultra-processed.
- A sensible portion. A snack is a small meal, not a second lunch. Check whether the pack is one serving or several.
Label thresholds: what counts as high or low?
The quickest way to compare snacks is to use the per 100 g column, because serving sizes vary from brand to brand. The NHS uses these thresholds for the traffic-light labels on UK packs:
| Per 100 g | Low (green) | High (red) |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | 5 g or less | More than 22.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.5 g or less | More than 5 g |
| Total fat | 3 g or less | More than 17.5 g |
| Salt | 0.3 g or less | More than 1.5 g |
In the US, use the % Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts label: 5% or less per serving is low and 20% or more is high. Our guide on how to read nutrition labels explains both systems in more detail.
Are protein bars healthy?
Some are, many are closer to a chocolate bar with added protein. In the EU, a product can only claim to be "high protein" if at least 20% of its energy comes from protein, so the claim is regulated, but it says nothing about sugar or the rest of the recipe.
- Check the sugars per 100 g. Many bars still land in the high range because of chocolate coatings, syrups and dried fruit.
- Look for sugar alcohols such as maltitol, sorbitol or erythritol in "low sugar" bars. In the EU, products with more than 10% added polyols must warn that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.
- Read the ingredient list. A bar built on nuts, oats or seeds is a different product from one built on protein isolates, syrups and coatings.
- Ask if you need it. Most people get enough protein from meals. A yogurt or a handful of nuts can do the same job for less.
Curious about the sweeteners used in "no added sugar" snacks? Our guide to artificial sweeteners covers them, and how much sugar per day puts snack sugar in context.
Granola bars, chips, yogurt and nuts: quick comparisons
Granola and cereal bars
Oats sound healthy, but many bars are held together with sugar syrups, honey and fat. Compare sugars per 100 g, prefer bars where oats, nuts or seeds come first in the ingredient list, and check the fiber: in the EU, "source of fibre" means at least 3 g per 100 g and "high fibre" at least 6 g.
Chips and savory snacks
Regular chips are usually high in fat and often high in salt. "Baked", "veggie" or "lentil" versions are not automatically better, so check fat and salt per 100 g. Plain or lightly salted popcorn, roasted chickpeas or rice cakes with a topping are often lighter options.
Flavored yogurt
Fruit and dessert yogurts can contain a lot of added sugar. Plain yogurt naturally contains some milk sugar (lactose), so its sugar figure is never zero, but a flavored yogurt with much more sugar than the plain version of the same brand has had sugar added. Plain yogurt with fresh fruit is an easy swap.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts are high in energy but also provide protein, fiber and mostly unsaturated fats. Choose plain or unsalted versions and keep the portion to a small handful. Honey-roasted, chocolate-coated or heavily salted nuts are a different snack.
Low sugar snacks: what the claims mean
In the EU, nutrition claims have legal definitions, which makes them useful when you know what they mean:
- Low sugars: no more than 5 g of sugars per 100 g (2.5 g per 100 ml for drinks).
- Sugars-free: no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g or 100 ml.
- No added sugars: no added sugars or other ingredients used for sweetness; if the food naturally contains sugar (from fruit or milk, for example), the label must say so.
Watch out for unregulated words such as "natural", "wholesome" or "guilt-free". They tell you nothing about the nutrition table.
Compare snacks in the aisle with Green Point
Reading two labels side by side in a busy aisle is tedious. Scan each snack's barcode with Green Point to see its A to E grade, its sugars, salt, saturated fat, protein and fiber rated from low to high, its additives with their risk level and its processing group. Values can be shown per 100 g or per serving.
Frequently asked questions
Is dried fruit a healthy snack?
Dried fruit keeps the fiber and many nutrients of fresh fruit, but the water is removed, so its natural sugar is concentrated and it is easy to eat a lot. Stick to a small portion, choose versions without added sugar or syrup, and remember that sticky dried fruit can be hard on teeth.
How many snacks a day is healthy?
There is no single rule, because it depends on your age, activity and how much you eat at meals. A snack should take the edge off hunger, not replace a meal. For children, the NHS Healthier Families advice is to aim for two packaged snacks a day at most, however carefully you pick them.
Are rice cakes a healthy snack?
Plain rice cakes are low in fat and sugar but also low in protein and fiber, so they don't keep you full for long on their own. Topping them with peanut butter, hummus, cottage cheese or avocado makes a more filling snack. Flavored rice cakes can contain added sugar or salt, so check the label.
Is dark chocolate a healthy snack?
Dark chocolate contains less sugar than milk chocolate, especially at 70% cocoa or above, but it is still high in saturated fat and energy. It can fit in a balanced diet as a small treat, a couple of squares rather than a whole bar. Check sugars per 100 g to compare brands.
Sources
- Food labelsNHS
- Nutrition claimsEuropean Commission
- How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts LabelU.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Healthier snacks for kidsNHS Healthier Families
This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have a skin, allergy or health concern, talk to a doctor, dermatologist or dietitian. Green Point scores and Skin Scan results are informational and are not a diagnosis.
