As the start of a new school year fast approaches, so do thoughts of packing lots of lunches, along with having some tasty after school snacks on hand.
In an effort to educate families about nutritional information on snacks, I compared calorie, fat, sodium, and sugar content of some popular snacks.

Comparison 1: Gold fish crackers vs. Goldfish 100 calorie pack:

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers 1.5 oz bag

• 210 calories

• 9 grams of fat

• <1 gram of fat

• 360 mg of sodium

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, 100 calorie pack

• 100 calories

• 3.5 grams of fat

• 170 mg of sodium

• 0 grams of sugar

The sodium and calorie content are significantly lower in the 100 calorie pack. I expected the calorie count to be lower, but found it surprising that the calorie pack was also almost two hundred milligrams less of sodium.

Comparison 2: Fruit by the Foot vs. Fruit Roll Ups

Fruit by the Foot (Serving size is one roll)

• 80 calories

• 1 gram of fat

• 50 mg of sodium

• 10 grams of sugar

Fruit Roll Ups (Serving size one roll)

• 50 calories

• 1 gram of fat

• 55 mg of sodium

• 7 grams of sugar

There isn’t a huge difference in these nutritional values, but for those
watching sugar and calorie levels, a little change can go a long way. Two Fruit by the Foot rolls would be one hundred and sixty calories verses two fruit roll ups being one hundred.

Comparison Number 3: Yoplait Cherry Flavor Yogurt vs. Yoplait Light Cherry
Flavored Yogurt

Yoplait Cherry Flavored Yogurt (serving size 6 ounces)

• 180 calories

• 1.5 grams of fat

• 80 mg of sodium

• 27 grams of sugar

Yoplait Light Cherry Flavored Yogurt (serving size 6 ounces)

• 90 calories

• 0 grams of fat

• 85 mg of sodium

• 14 grams of sugar

Calories and sugar content seem to be the huge difference between Yoplait’s
cherry flavored yogurt and their lighter version.

Obviously, lots of fruits and vegetables are the preferred choice for any kind of snack. However, we all know that kids love traditional snack items, such as the ones describe above.

As you begin stocking up on snacks for the new school year, keep these numbers in mind, and do a little comparison shopping on your own. It’s amazing how two snacks that appear to be quite similar can have vastly different nutritional values.