The best supermarket snacks, according to a dietitian

Pop these ones in your shopping trolley

In an attempt to make navigating the snack food aisle a little easier, we have complied our top snacks from a nutritional perspective. Image: Getty

Finding snacks in the supermarket that aren't packed with additives or unhealthy ingredients is tricky - but thanks to dietitians Susie Burrell and Leanne Ward, we can leave the guesswork at home. Here, they share exactly what you should be adding to your shopping basket.

Who doesn't love a snack? Whether it's to break up the work day, fuel you before a workout,or a treat to enjoy while watch your favourite TV show, there are literally entire aisles of the supermarket dedicated to snacking.

While there are more and more 'healthier' snacks there are also plenty of highly processed snacks, that masquerade as healthy options.

In an attempt to make navigating the snack food aisle a little easier, dietitian Leanne Ward and I have compiled our top snacks from a nutritional perspective, so whether you need gluten free, high-calcium or protein-rich snacks, we have you covered.

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What do we look for in a snack?

A snack should be thought of as a ‘mini meal’ - a mix of slowly digested carbohydrates for energy and protein for fullness. Think a tub of protein yoghurt, cheese and crackers or a wholegrain or nut-based snack bar.

Our top ‘healthy’ snacks

Activia No Added Sugar Fruit Yoghurt – good source of protein and carb, high in calcium and one of the few fruit yoghurts that does not contain added sugars.

Carman’s Nut Bar Almond, Hazelnut and Vanilla – rich in good fats, with protein and less than 5g of sugar per bar.

Carman’s Nut Bar Almond, Hazelnut and Vanilla.

What about gluten free?

Gluten free snacks are notoriously high in refined carbohydrate as they are often based on white rice. For this reason, legume or nut-based gluten free options are superior nutritionally.

Corn Thins - One of the few, gluten free crackers that are not rice based, offering the benefits of wholegrains and dietary fibre.

Well Naturally No Sugar Added Dark Chocolate Almonds - A sweet treat, with no added sugar that is gluten free and still comes in at less than 100 calories.

Well Naturally No Sugar Added Dark Chocolate Almonds.

For the kids

To make kids snacks lunchbox friendly, they are frequently based on processed fruit or rice, leaving them with little protein or dietary fibre. To ensure your little ones is enjoying a snack with some positive nutritional attributes, look for wholegrain snack bars, dairy or legume-based snacks to ensure they are getting some dietary fibre and/or protein when they snack.

Messy Monkey’s Wholegrain Bites - One of the few wholegrain, bite sized snacks for kids that is gluten free and contains no added sugar.

Tamar Valley Dairy Greek Yoghurt Pouch - One of the few pouch style yoghurts for kids that does not contain added sugar.

Messy Monkey’s Wholegrain Bites.

Sweet options

We are all guilty of wanting to munch on something sweet even when we are not hungry, especially after dinner. When this type of hungry strikes, there is a growing range of sweet snacks that contain 100cal or less.

Twisted Treats Tiny Tubs - A protein rich, low sugar sweet treat for just 70 calories per serve.

Happy Snack Company Roasted Chickpeas Chocolate - A fibre rich, wholefood-based snack, with a delicious chocolate coating for less than 100 calories.Or for times you don't need to snack.

Happy Snack Company Roasted Chickpeas Chocolate.

Mindless snacking options

Then there are the times that we know we should not really be eating but we feel like munching anyway. The good news is that there is a range of nutritious snacks that contain very few calories for these mindless munching snack needs.

Bulla High Protein Cottage Cheese – if you like cottage cheese, it is one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can include in your diet and a perfect high protein topping to enjoy with crackers or fruit.

Cob’s Natural Popcorn - A fibre rich, wholegrain snack that is a much better choice nutritionally when you have the munchies than chips, rice crackers or pretzels.

Cob’s Natural Popcorn.

For Susie's full snacking guide, check out The Nutrition Couch.

Originally published as The best supermarket snacks, according to a dietitian