Snack foods. Salt vs. Fat

As the battle of the bulge continues I have a new question.

Given they have the same calories, whats the lesser of 2 evils, the hi salt food or the hi fat food?

That probably mostly depends on if you have (genetic or otherwise) high blood pressure or cholesterol issues.

BP and LDL are about the same as far as good / bad are concerned.

Are your snacks currently coming from a convenience store?

I routinely snack on cheese and crackers, yogurt with a handful of blueberries, a handful of nuts, or graham crackers slathered with peanut butter. 

I don't buy potato chips.  I should eat more fruit.  Fruit makes a good snack.

Fruits and veggies are out. They upset my stomach. Dry food is the prefferred go to. I need kibble for people....

I lean towards fats but I don't watch my salt. I'll eat pork skins, dried sausages, jerky, tinned fish, and cheese given the preference. I also like most nuts. If I'm eating chips, it's a corn chip with salsa.

I've heard sardines described as "health food in a can."  I guess they'd work as a snack.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

Just think of all those Omega 3s and 6s. As a bonus, you get fish oil burps. 

I would say high salt is the lesser of two evils; just drink lots of water and maybe moderate your salt intake at other meals if you know you've had a lot of salty snacks in a day. But really it comes down to how you personally feel after you eat the snacks. 

Hot sauce > salt & fat.

Nicole Suddard said:

I would say high salt is the lesser of two evils; just drink lots of water and maybe moderate your salt intake at other meals if you know you've had a lot of salty snacks in a day. But really it comes down to how you personally feel after you eat the snacks. 

I always feel bad (mentaly) afterward because I'm eating too much. But the hunger is driving me nuts. Managed to lose about 20lbs a few years back (got as low as 153!) The past year its steadily come back, exercise and stress has increased my appetite.

Toyman! said:

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

Just think of all those Omega 3s and 6s. As a bonus, you get fish oil burps. 

 

 

That's a bonus?

1988RedT2 said:

I've heard sardines described as "health food in a can."  I guess they'd work as a snack.

I had a college roommate who liked to eat sardines out of a can.  The smell was so awful I had to leave the room when he did it, I'd consider them more of a punishment than a snack.

I used to eat salmon out of a can every day at work. Some people were not happy with me.

Snack that's not fruits, veggies and not bad for you? Hard boiled eggs.

In reply to stuart in mn :

Sounds like I was your room mate.  Nah, my old room mate died a couple of years ago, but he sure hated it when I ate sardines or kippers in the room.  What can I say?  I was a poor student.

Peabody said:

I used to eat salmon out of a can every day at work. Some people were not happy with me.

Snack that's not fruits, veggies and not bad for you? Hard boiled eggs.

I have 2 at breakfast.

I've been gravitating toward sesame sticks. Good flavor, a little protein and fiber, not too much salt or fat.

You need both salt and fat in the right amounts and right types.   Chips and such usually have a lot of salt and saturated fat, so it's a lose/lose all around.  Really, they are both equally bad, don't rob Peter to pay Paul.  You can have a chip type snack, just in moderation.

I'd very much check with a doctor why fruits and veggies upset your stomach.  That's quite odd.  Most people will have a sensitivity to some type of a fruit or veggie, but not all of them.

My go to snack for something crunchy is flavored rice cakes (chocolate or caramel) or low fat popcorn.

Or, and just hear me out, you could avoid both salt and fat.

Replace it with natural fruits, whole fruits.  Have an apple.

Cheers.

High fat or high salt? Yes! along with high sugar and chocolate. I want salty pretzels smothered in sweet chocolate. And yes, I have high cholesterol and BP but don't care. Maybe chocolate smothered bacon?

Duke said:

I've been gravitating toward sesame sticks. Good flavor, a little protein and fiber, not too much salt or fat.

I'll look into those, thanks.

VolvoHeretic said:

High fat or high salt? Yes! along with high sugar and chocolate. I want salty pretzels smothered in sweet chocolate. And yes, I have high cholesterol and BP but don't care. Maybe chocolate smothered bacon?

Never tried bacon with chocolate, but bacon cooked with pepper and brown sugar to caramelize it, that's something worth savoring...

Granola bars?
There are some good ones. And lot's of bad ones. 

Cashews. Walnuts. Almonds. Peanuts. Get the ones that aren't salted. Cashews are my favorite but I think walnuts are the "best" for you. Any of them would crush packaged snacks in terms of food value and health benefits.

Another idea is to sprinkle chia seeds on your meal previous to when you are usually hungry for a snack. I find them tasteless and they pack a lot of fiber in even a teaspoon. Will keep you full longer.

Salt vs fat will also depend on the rest of your daily intake. Looking at your total intake of fat and sodium over the course of the day also impacts which one to choose. 

If you can get the fruit and veggie issues sorted, then putting single serve bags of green grapes in the freezer makes a good snack or celery with peanut butter could be an option. 

I like the Atkins caramel nut bars, and nature valley dark chocolate protein bars as snack if I'm not in the mood for fruit.