“What convenience stores really do,” says Prevention advisor Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, a Yale University weight loss expert, “is make it convenient for you to gain weight.” They do this by neglecting healthy snacks and engulfing you with tempting, high-calorie foods. But convenience stores are a fact of life. So keep these healthy snacks tips in mind when you’re tempted to grab a snack.
- Make it minimal size (250 calories) or less. To do that, always read the calorie count on the label. Many snacks are innocent-looking shockers, such as the Hostess Blueberry Hearty Muffin. It has 590 calories, one-third of the calories a woman needs in a whole day.
- Don’t get snack amnesia. It’s so easy to forget about that convenience store cookie you ate. But it’s essential, says Dr. Brownell, to compensate for it by eating less later. If you can’t, then avoid convenience stores, period. Besides being low-cal, the best snacks have vitamins, minerals, and fiber, such as the treats in our “Convenience Store Healthy Snacks Picks.”
Convenience Store Healthy Snacks Picks
