Snacking and studying go hand-in-hand. As a college student with an average college student’s attention span, I need an incentive to get me through another physics problem set. If good grades isn’t motivation enough, food most certainly is.
Unfortunately, I, like so many other students, am prone to the Freshman Fifteen. And the Sophomore 20. And just weight gain in general. For my fellow finals binge eaters, tighten your belt with this list of the tastiest finals snacks for under 200 calories.
Cereal
Photo by Sydney Davis
Now, this does not mean an entire box of cereal. I prefer to eat pre-portioned cereal cups. These contain a cup and a half of cereal each, and serve as a filling and satisfying snack. For example, look at the Cheerios Cereal Cup:
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
Calories: 150 calories
Total Fat: 2 1/2 grams
Total Carbs: 29 grams
Pretzels and Hummus
Photo courtesy of flickr.com
The hummus provides protein, and the pretzels satisfy a salt craving. A great snack combines Snack Factory’s Pretzels Crisps and Sabra’s Classic Hummus.
Serving size: 11 pretzels and 2 tablespoons of hummus
Calories: 110 + 70 = 180 calories
Total Fat: 0 + 5 = 5 grams
Total Carbs: 46 + 4 = 50 grams
Celery and Dip
Photo by Erin McDonald and Jenna Culliton
Ok I know I just gave celery a bad rap, but I was only talking about plain celery. Dip can make celery a tolerable and maybe even *gasp* tasty. Since celery is basically just water and chlorophyll, lets pretend it has zero calories. Here are some tasty dip options:
Hidden Valley Light Original Ranch Dressing
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Calories: 80 calories
Total Fat: 7 grams
Total Carbs: 3 grams
Jif Creamy Peanut Butter Spread
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Calories: 190 calories
Total Fat: 16 grams
Total Carbs: 8 grams
Popcorn
Photo by Alina Polishuk
Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks to eat while studying because, like cereal, there are many pieces and it can take a while to eat. Sadly, popcorn does not mean movie-theater popcorn smothered in tubs of butter. There are other wonderful popcorn options that contain significantly less sodium and fat. Skinny Pop Popcorn is one of such brands.
Serving size: 3 3/4 cups
Calories: 150 calories
Total Fat: 10 grams
Total Carbs: 15 grams
Soup
Photo by Kelli Haugh
Sometimes, we just want a warm, hardy meal to get us through another paragraph. Soup can be a great comfort food. While it can be full of vegetables and protein, soup can be a sodium trap. When looking for soup, try Cambell’s Low Sodium Vegetable Soup.
Serving size: 1 can
Calories: 80 calories
Total Fat: 1 grams
Sodium: 115 mg (compared to a typical 800 mg)
Total Carbs: 14 grams
Chocolate
Photo by Sean Koetting
You know what, sometimes we just need something sweet. A final didn’t go well. Homework has taken hours. Stressing about an impending paper that hasn’t been started yet. Go for the dessert. Instead of a slab of chocolate cake, opt for a handful of Nestlé’s dark chocolate chips.
Serving size: 2 tbsp
Calories: 160 calories
Total Fat: 5 grams
Total Carbs: 3 grams
Emerge out of that math final knowing you look damn fine.