​​Hi Reader,

You’re at the grocery store when your kid tosses a box of granola bars into the cart.

“Can we get these?”

You pick up the box, flip it over, and start scanning the label. Is this actually a decent snack? What am I even supposed to be looking for?

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a food label trying to decide whether something is a good choice, I’ve got 3 easy tricks for you.

(Actually I deeply obsessed over what are the three absolute easiest things to remember — because our mom brains are required to hold wayyy too much.)

Instead of searching for ingredients the internet has deemed scary, let’s focus on what a food has to offer nutritionally.

3 Easy Tricks for Choosing Better Snacks

1. Protein + fiber = 5 or higher 🖐️

Find the grams of protein and fiber on the Nutrition Facts label and add them together. If you need five fingers or more to equal the total, that’s a great starting point! These nutrients help make snacks more filling and satisfying.

2. Plants are a plus 🍎🥑🥜

Check the ingredient list for fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, or whole grains. These ingredients bring valuable nutrients to the table, like fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.

3. Added sugar stays single! 💃🏻

Look for single-digit grams of added sugar (less than 10g per serving). Be sure you’re looking at added sugar, not total sugar! Naturally occurring sugars in foods like fruit and milk aren’t included in the added sugar number.

One Last Thing…

These are helpful shortcuts, not strict rules! A snack doesn’t have to check all three boxes to be a nutritious choice. But it’s a helpful guidepost when you’re looking at a packaged item that you’re not so sure about!

The goal isn’t to always find the most perfect snacks. It’s to make it easier to recognize the nutritional benefits a food has to offer.

Recipes for Fall From Mama Knows
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​IN THE RECIPE BOOK

See the rest of my fall favorites and give them a try!

Things This Community is Loving:​
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• ​These that I use to bribe my kids to do things they don’t want to do. I can admit I also think it’s super relaxing.
• I always have one of these on me, I use it for birthday party gifts and I mostly love it because it’s so simple but brings so much joy.
• This super easy breakfast you can feel great about. And they can take it on-the-go.
• And finally…I can’t tell you how excited it makes me to hear from so many of you who are as obsessed with this as I am.

Hope you survived Halloween,

P.S. I’ll be sharing some of my holiday gifting ideas in my newsletters over the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: this message contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

© Mama Knows Nutrition 2026
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