12 Of The Best Healthy Dorm Room Snacks All Incoming Freshman Need
These best healthy dorm room snacks are perfect for any college newbie looking to start the year off on a healthy note! Avoid the dreaded Freshman 15 by checking out these 12 best healthy snack options!
1. GoGo Squeez
GoGo Squeez is literally the perfect college snack. They come in super fun pouches that allow you to take this snack anywhere without making a big mess, so they’re great for snacking on the walk in between your classes. They also come in tons of flavors, so if you’re not a huge fan of applesauce, don’t knock it ’til you try it! No matter the flavor though, Gogo Squeez pouches are made with 100% fruit and there’s no extra sugar added. Added bonus: they don’t cost a fortune so you won’t have to sell your kidney to eat healthy on a Freshman’s college budget!
2. Boom Chicka Pop
Since movie night is basically every Sunday night in college, popcorn is a must-have for any dorm room. However, that movie theatre butter popcorn you usually eat is probably not the healthiest option for a snack. Plus, all that oil is not great for your skin either. Next time you’re in the market for a movie night snack, try Boom Chicka Pop. They have all the classic popcorn flavors (white cheddar, sea salt, kettle corn) and the popcorn is made with whole grains. All the Boom Chicka Pop products are non-GMO (so basically none of their ingredients have been messed with or modified) and the popcorn comes in ready-to-eat and microwave options!
3. Frozen Fruit Bars
Frozen treats are a great option to keep handy in your dorm room just in case you get a late-night craving for ice cream but can’t afford those extra calories. Simply Balanced fruit bars are delicious and super refreshing. We know they’re not Rocky Road and there are times when fruit bars are just not gonna cut it (ex: your bf decides he “needs some space”) and you’re gonna want to reach for the Ben and Jerry’s. But for your normal run of the mill “I’m really craving something sweet” occasion, these fruit bars will certainly do the trick. The natural fruit flavors are sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth without overloading on candy and chocolate, and they’re non-GMO! They’re so good you won’t be able to stop eating them. Just be careful of brain freeze!
4. Rice Snacks
While rice snacks don’t sound immediately appealing and they probably wouldn’t be your go-to when you’re feeling snacky, Quaker Oats have TONS of great flavored rice snacks that don’t have that cardboard taste you probably imagined when you heard “rice snack”. Quaker rice snacks come in flavors like ranch, caramel corn, and chocolate and they’re available at just about every food store. The rice snacks are made with whole grain rice, they’re low fat and low cholesterol, and they’re popped, not fried. They’re seriously addicting, so just make sure you’re prepared to be hooked for life after you try one!
5. Protein Packs
With your busy class schedule and plenty of extracurricular activities to keep you busy, it can be hard to make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet-especially considering you’ve probably eaten pizza at the dining hall every night this week. These Oscar Mayer P3 packs contain about 14 grams of protein per serving (about 25% of what you should be consuming daily), so they’re a great choice for when you need a little pick me up in between your night classes. P3 contains no artificial preservatives either, which makes them one of the best healthy dorm room snacks!
6. Dried Fruit
For those of us with an enormous sweet tooth, dried fruits are a super healthy alternative to candy. Dried fruit is a really good source of fiber and antioxidants, but they’re also relatively high in sugar and calories because the fruit has essentially been dehydrated, meaning the sugars in the fruit are basically the only thing left after the water’s been removed which makes the fruit taste extremely sweet. However, compared to candy bars, dried fruit is obviously a much healthier option when you’re craving something sweet. One serving of dried pineapple contains about 16 grams of sugar, which is about half of the amount of sugar in a chocolate bar.
7. Seeds
Seeds like pumpkin and sunflower seeds are great sources of protein, and they taste delish! This organic seed mix by Go Raw has about 6 grams of protein per serving, and it’s seasoned with cinnamon- um can you say yum? Along with all the protein you’re getting, seeds are also great for energy, so next time you cram for a big final, reach for the seeds! If you’re a stress eater, this seed mix is a great choice for you. Because pumpkin and sunflower seeds are so small, you get a pretty decent amount of seeds in each serving, so you’ll feel like you’re getting away with something with every serving!
8. Trail Mix
There are so many different options to choose from when it comes to trail mix. Trail mix almost always contains some kind of nut or granola, which makes it a good option when you’re craving something crunchy. This tropical mix by Prince and Spring contains almonds, cashews, and banana chips so it delivers a wicked crunch with only 4 grams of fat and no cholesterol, making it a far better choice than potato chips. It also tastes like a vacation in your mouth, so next time you’re wishing it was summer, open up a bag of tropical trail mix, one of the best healthy dorm room snacks!
9. Dark Chocolate Almonds
Nuts are a great source of fiber and they’re low in sodium (as long as you get unsalted) and vitamin E, so they’re a great snack to fill in some of those nutritional gaps that can become a problem in college. These oven-roasted almonds made by Blue Diamond are dusted in dark chocolate made with real cocoa to help you satisfy your craving for chocolate without having to freak out about how many calories you’re consuming, so feel free to indulge!
10. Green Pea Crisps
Once you’ve left home, the freedom to pick and choose what and when you eat is one of the best feelings in the world- until you realize your parents were right all along and fruits and vegetables do play a big role in keeping your energy high and your brain sharp. So, when you’re finally ready to face the facts and you’re looking for a tasty veggie snack you don’t have to cook, we suggest turning to Harvest Snaps. Harvest Snaps are made from dried green peas, and they come in tons of flavors like tomato basil, white cheddar, and even barbecue! Because this snack is virtually made exclusively from vegetables, they’re great for an extra boost in calcium and potassium, which means they help support healthy bones and muscles. Listen to your parents (for once), and make sure you include these veggie snacks on your shopping list of best healthy dorm room snacks!
11. Greek Yogurt
We all know how much it sucks getting up for that 8 am we swore was going to be a good idea when we made out schedules, so it can sometimes be a struggle to make sure we eat breakfast in the morning. Chobani Flips are a super healthy and convenient option for those days we just can’t get up in time to make breakfast. Flips are made with low-fat greek yogurt (which is packed with calcium) and the yogurt comes with a cute little cup of ingredients like graham crackers and chocolate chip bites to add some flavor and texture to your yogurt. With fun flavors like s’mores, key lime pie, and almond coconut, you’ll actually enjoy eating this healthy treat for breakfast or just for a quick snack!
12. Fruit Strips
It can be hard to find cheap and healthy snack options in college that you’ll actually like the taste of, but these Simply Balanced Fruit Strips check all the boxes. Think of them as natural fruit roll-ups. The strips are individually wrapped, so you can bring them to class to help you get through that hour lecture with that one professor who seems to love to hear the sound of his own voice. They’re low in sodium, non-fat, and gluten-free, so you won’t have to feel guilty about eating them, and the eating experience is just as fun as the flavors these strips come in. The leathery texture of the fruit creates a chewy, stretchy strip that is quite frankly, super entertaining. Yeah, yeah you shouldn’t play with your food and all that nonsense. But hey, you’re a college student! You can play with your food if you want to, darn it!
