It’s 3:30 p.m. and your stomach is starting to growl.  Your willpower is waning but a deadline is looming – so you head to the office break room for a quick fix from the vending machine.

Hold on there, ace.  Think before you press those buttons.  Here are your best and worst vending choices:

 Five Healthy Snacks

Planters Sunflower Kernals (1/4 cup)

160 calories, 14 g fat (but it’s the healthy kind), 1.5 g sat fat, 4 g fiber

Baked Lays Original

210 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 4 g fiber

Snyders of Hanover Mini Pretzels (20)

110 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g sat fat

Fig Newtons

190 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 2 g fiber

Smartfood Reduced Fat Popcorn

120 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 2 g fiber

Five Snacking Disasters

Drake’s Apple Fruit Pie

440 calories, 27 g fat, 7 g sat fat, 8 g trans fat

Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry

420 calories, 10 g fat, 2.5 g sat fat, 40 g sugar

Austin Cheese Crackers with Cheddar Cheese

210 calories, 10 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 4 g trans fat

Snickers Bar

271 calories, 13.6 g fat, 5.2 g sat fat, 28 g sugar

Hostess Suzy Q’s

460 calories, 18 g fat, 9 g sat fat, 42 g sugar

Best Bet: Pack These Snacks

Save your quarters.  Instead of raiding that vending machine, pack your snacks from home for the week and make them healthy choices:

Almonds

1 large handful – 24 almonds – packs a powerful nutritional punch

163 calories, 14 g fat, 1.1 g sat fat, 6 g protein, 3.5 g fiber

Fat Free Cottage Cheese (1/2 cup)

75 calories, .5 g fat, 16 g protein

Hard Boiled Egg

78 calories, 5.3 g fat, 1.6 g sat fat, 6.3 g protein

Frigo Light String Cheese

60 calories, 2.5 g fat, 8 g protein

Apple (1 medium Gala)

74 calories, 0 g fat, 1.5 g fiber

What’s your fancy?  Do you have a favorite go-to snack that’s both handy and healthy?  Tell us all about it by clicking the “Leave a Comment” link in the title box above!