Americans love snacking. One of the earlier innovations in American snack food history was the potato chip in 1853, according to the Snack Food Association, which became available in grocery stores in 1895. In the decades since then, the food industry has tempted consumers with a growing list of sweet, salty and creamy snacks. Not all of these snacks are healthy. In fact, a steady diet of some snack foods can be bad for your health.
Cakes and Cookies
Commercially baked snack cakes and cookies are high in sugar, fat and trans fats. A 29 g serving of Nabisco Double Stuf Oreos contain 140 calories and 11 percent of your recommended total fat intake for the entire day. The Nabisco website does not list the trans fat content in this product, but the trans fats lurking in your food are very unhealthy.
Fast Food
Commercially baked products are not the only "bad" snack foods. Even before McDonald's opened the first fast-food restaurant in 1948, Americans snacked on hamburgers and hot dogs at drive-in restaurants. The large Popcorn Chicken from KFC has 550 calories, 320 of which are from fat, 80 mg cholesterol and 1,600 mg sodium, according to KFC's website.
Beverages
Even beverages may contain calories, trans fats and other unhealthy ingredients -- especially those made from ice cream. The large Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Shake from Baskin Robbins contains 1,690 calories, more calories than a sedentary woman needs to consume in an entire day. This 32-oz. drink provides more than an entire day's worth of recommended fat intake at 72 g.
Fried Food
Battering and deep-frying turns some fairly healthy snack items into unhealthy snack foods. Battered, deep-fried mushrooms, cheese, potatoes, strips of meat and other snacks are delicious but bad for your health if consumed frequently. Some people make deep-frying snacks even unhealthier by battering and plunging candy bars and snack cakes into the hot oil.
Homemade
A quick snack at home can be deceptively unhealthy. A person who makes a sandwich with refined white bread, condiments containing sodium and processed meats is not having a healthy snack. Processed lunch meats often contain a lot of fat, sodium and byproducts. Some cold cuts contain unhealthy additives. Commercially prepared snack products intended to be made at home, such as cake mixes or canned soups, often contain excess fat or salt. Microwave products are often very high in sodium, calories and fat. Adding heavy, sweetened creams, salt or butter to otherwise healthy snacks can add calories to your meal, cholesterol to your blood and inches to your waistline.
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