I don’t know about you, but most days between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm I end up in front of the vending machine trying to decide what will hold me over until dinner. My first instinct is to go for the peanut M&Ms. And the reason for my choice is simple, I grew up in Hackettstown, N.J. the home of M&M Mars, so they will always have a soft spot in my heart and taste buds. However, as it gets harder and harder to lose those extra pounds, I’ve had to rethink my first choice and start making healthier decisions when it comes to snacking.
Here at Lumenos I have some help in making smarter snacking choices - our vending machines have been stocked with healthy snack options. We also display the nutritional information for all of the snacks offered next to the vending machines. And to further encourage smarter snacking, the healthy snacks are priced lower than the “unhealthy” options. So the M&Ms are still there, but they cost a little more than a bag of pretzels.
Clearly, most vending machines aren’t stocked with an enormous choice of healthy snacks and even fewer tell you which snacks are healthy, so here are some quick tips for how to choose a healthy snack:
- 150 – 200 calories or less
- Less than 5 grams of fat
- Less than 1 gram of saturated fat
- 0 grams of trans fat
- Less than 280 mg of sodium
But some days I still choose the M&Ms. Maybe it's to help curb that chocolate craving or maybe they just remind me of my hometown, but regardless of the reason occasional treats are okay - as long as they remain occasional.
Jason - a Lumen
