If you are starving and you have not brought your own food, a snack from a vending machine can give you the energy, but the choices are not always healthy. Bring your own snacks whenever possible so that a vending machine snack is not your only option. When you must get something from a vending machine, limit your portion size, and make an extra effort to eat healthy foods the rest of the day.
Crunchy Snack Foods
Many vending machines sell crunchy treats such as potato chips, tortilla chips, cheese popcorn and crackers with peanut butter or cheese filling. These foods are high in calories and fat, and they may have saturated and trans fats, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Low-fat or fat-free pretzels and trans-fat free baked potato chips may be better options because they are lower in fat, but they are not high in fiber or protein, so you may feel hungry again soon after eating them.
Fruit
Fresh fruit is a healthy choice for a vending machine snack. Most kinds of fruit provide potassium and dietary fiber, and they are lower in calories than most other vending machine snacks. Common possibilities include apples, pears and bananas. Oranges and tangerines are high in vitamin C. Dried fruits, such as raisins, dried apricots or dried figs, are higher in calories, but still nutritious. Fruit snacks or fruit leather with added sugars are less healthy.
Peanuts, Nuts and Seeds
Peanuts, nuts and seeds can be healthy vending machine snacks because they provide heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Other essential nutrients include vitamin E, folate, potassium and dietary fiber, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Common choices include roasted peanuts, mixed nuts and sunflower seeds. These choices are high in calories, so read the nutrition label on the package to make sure that you only eat a single serving. If possible, choose lightly salted or low-sodium options.
Sweets
Candy and baked goods are generally unhealthy snack choices from vending machines. Most machines offer chocolate bars, sugary hard or soft candies and pastries or snack cakes. Candy and grain-based desserts are among the top sources of calories, saturated fat and added sugars in the diet of the average American, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Processed pastries, cookies and snack cakes may also have partially hydrogenated oils, which are a source of cholesterol-raising trans fats.
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