Healthy Snacks for Work, College and Movie Night, with Calories

Snacks are the meals we eat without noticing: a handful of nuts at your desk, a bowl of popcorn with a movie, a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar on your way out. Plenty of us really do choose healthy food and are still surprised that the calories didn't go down. The reason is simple: healthy food isn't always light food.

In this guide we compare popular snacks by the handful, the spoon and the cup, using data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and explain why almonds, tahini and avocado deserve a place in your day even though they're high in calories. Then come snack ideas for work, college and movie night that fill you up and that you won't regret.

In this guide 8

1. Healthy? Yes. Low-calorie? Not always
2. Calories in nuts, tahini and avocado
3. Same handful, different numbers: chips, popcorn or almonds?
4. Handful comparison: salty snacks vs nuts
5. Healthy snacks for work and college
6. Calories in work and movie night snacks
7. Movie night snacks, with friends or solo
8. How to snack without stressing

Healthy? Yes. Low-calorie? Not always

Olive oil, tahini, nuts and avocado are some of the best foods you can eat: they have healthy fats and fiber, and some have protein too. But fat is the most calorie-dense part of any food, so even a small spoonful adds up. One tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories, and a tablespoon of tahini has 89.

A handful of almonds (about 23 nuts) has 164 calories, and a handful of pistachios (about 49 nuts) has 159. A whole medium avocado is 322 calories, and half is 161. Two tablespoons of peanut butter come to 188.

We're not saying drop them; quite the opposite. We're saying measure them with a spoon instead of pouring by eye. Two tablespoons of oil on a salad is about 238 calories, while one gives you the same flavor. A tablespoon of tahini also has 64 mg of calcium, which is a nice bonus.

Nuts differ from one another too. A handful of walnuts is the highest in calories, with 185 calories and 18.5 g of fat, but it's the good kind of fat. Pistachios are about the lightest, at 159 calories with 5.7 g of protein and 3 g of fiber, and shelling them takes time, so you eat them slowly. Pick the one you like. The key is that a handful stays a handful, not an open bowl next to you while you study.

Calories in nuts, tahini and avocado

A handful here means 1 ounce, about 28 g, the standard USDA serving for nuts.

Same handful, different numbers: chips, popcorn or almonds?

About 22 potato chips have 149 calories, while a cup of air-popped popcorn has just 31. For the calories in a handful of chips you could eat roughly 5 cups of popcorn, which fills the bowl and keeps you fuller because it has fiber.

A 28 g handful of pretzels has 109 calories, fewer than chips, but it's salty and not very filling. A handful of almonds is 164 calories, 15 more than the chips, but it brings 6 g of protein and 3.5 g of fiber, versus 1.8 g of protein in the chips. The calories are close; what you get for them is completely different.

The point isn't that any snack is off-limits. It's knowing what you get for your calories: popcorn for volume, almonds for fullness and protein, chips for the mood, in a portion you know.

Handful comparison: salty snacks vs nuts

Raisins are low in fat but their sugar is concentrated; a small handful mixed with nuts is enough.

Healthy snacks for work and college

Snacks that hold you over until lunch. Prep them the night before and take them along in small containers.

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  Nuts and raisins

  One handful in a small container, not the whole bag sitting on your desk.

  Photo: Francisco Jacquier on Pexels
• 

  Green grapes

  A cup of grapes is 104 calories: sweet, refreshing and good for a sugar craving.

  Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels
• 

  Yogurt and granola

  Greek yogurt has 17.3 g of protein; keep the granola to a sprinkle, not half the tub.

  Photo: Ecrin on Pexels
• 

  Boiled eggs

  One egg is 78 calories and 6.3 g of protein; boil a batch at the start of the week.

  Photo: Antoni Shkraba on Pexels
• 

  Carrots, cucumber and cheese

  Crunchy vegetables with a small piece of cheese: a big snack for few calories.

  Photo: khezez | خزاز on Pexels
• 

  A small plate of dates

  One Medjool date is 66 calories, and two with a handful of almonds make a complete snack.

  Photo: Antoni Shkraba on Pexels
• 

  Rice cakes and banana

  2 rice cakes are 70 calories; top them with banana and a spoon of peanut butter.

  Photo: Gül Işık on Pexels

Calories in work and movie night snacks

Movie night snacks, with friends or solo

Movie night doesn't need a family-size bag of chips. A big bowl of popcorn, 3 cups, has only 93 calories, and you can sprinkle on a little salt or spice. A cup of edamame has 188 calories and 18.4 g of protein, a snack that fills you up like a small meal.

If you want something sweet, cherries and strawberries go well with a piece of dark chocolate. Just keep in mind that 28 g of dark chocolate has 170 calories, so a small piece is plenty and the fruit fills out the plate.

• 

  Bowl of popcorn

  Make it at home with no oil or just a teaspoon, so you control the salt and butter.

  Photo: Александр Трубицын on Pexels
• 

  Veggie sticks and dip

  Cucumber, carrot and celery with a yogurt dip instead of mayo.

  Photo: Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels
• 

  Cherries, berries and strawberries

  A colorful fruit plate sweetens the night without heavy desserts.

  Photo: Boryslav Shoot on Pexels
• 

  Almonds and walnuts

  Give everyone a handful in a small bowl instead of one big bowl in the middle.

  Photo: Vie Studio on Pexels
• 

  Bowl of edamame

  Boiled with a pinch of salt, fun to shell and high in protein.

  Photo: Nano Erdozain on Pexels
• 

  Strawberries and dark chocolate

  A piece of chocolate broken over strawberries is enough to feel like a treat.

  Photo: Kian Philippe Martos on Pexels

How to snack without stressing

• Portion nuts into small containers at the start of the week, one handful in each.
• Measure oil, tahini and peanut butter with a spoon, not by eye.
• Pair a protein with a carb, like dates with almonds or rice cakes with peanut butter.
• Don't eat straight from the bag: pour your portion into a bowl and close the bag.
• Keep cut fruit and vegetables at the front of the fridge, so they're the first thing you see when you're hungry.

Common questions

Sources

1. USDA FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Values per 100 g, computed at the portion weight shown:
   • Oil, olive, salad or cooking FDC 171413
   • Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from roasted and toasted kernels (most common type) FDC 170189
   • Nuts, almonds FDC 170567
   • Nuts, pistachio nuts, raw FDC 170184
   • Nuts, walnuts, english FDC 170187
   • Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties FDC 171705
   • Peanut Butter, smooth (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) FDC 174294
   • Snacks, potato chips, plain, salted FDC 169677
   • Snacks, popcorn, air-popped FDC 167959
   • Snacks, pretzels, hard, plain, salted FDC 167555
   • Nuts, cashew nuts, dry roasted, without salt added FDC 170571
   • Raisins, dark, seedless (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) FDC 168165
   • Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled FDC 173424
   • Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) FDC 170894
   • Cereals ready-to-eat, granola, homemade FDC 171646
   • Grapes, red or green (European type, such as Thompson seedless), raw FDC 174683
   • Dates, medjool FDC 168191
   • Carrots, raw FDC 170393
   • Cucumber, with peel, raw FDC 168409
   • Snacks, rice cakes, brown rice, plain, unsalted FDC 170250
   • Bananas, raw FDC 173944
   • Edamame, frozen, prepared FDC 168411
   • Cherries, sweet, raw FDC 171719
   • Chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids FDC 170273

Numbers are computed from USDA per-100 g values at the weight in each table, and rounded. Real food varies by recipe and brand.