Healther Options are Popular Too!

We are often asked by our clients to provide standard, brand-name candies, snacks and drink options in our machines.  These are the brands we grew up with and we love them:  M&Ms, Coke, Skittles, Cheetos, etc.  We understand that and do our best to give them what they want.  However, often providing a simple alternative may be significantly healthier, and just as popular with the consumers.  Consider these options and you’ll see the healthier option for your vending machine may be just as tasty!

Candy

Eat This: Pretzel M&M's - 150 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 105 mg sodium, 24 g carbs (1 g fiber, 17 g sugar), 2 g protein

Not That!: Butterfinger - 250 calories, 10 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 140 mg sodium, 36 g carbs (2 g fiber, 21 g sugar), 5 g protein

Yes, Pretzel M&M's still pack 150 empty calories, but that's 100 calories less than a Butterfinger. What's more? While one Butterfinger is loaded with nearly an entire day's worth of sugar, the salty-sweet flavors of the Pretzel M&M's will prevent a sugar rush. And while it's easy to wolf down an entire Butterfinger without so much as blinking your eyes, M&M's can be eaten at a slower pace because they're smaller candies. To stop yourself from overeating and gaining weight, pop in one or two M&M's at a time and your hunger pangs will vanish before you know it, and hopefully before you've eaten the entire bag.

Chips

Eat This: Oven Baked Original Lay's Potato Chips - 120 calories, 3.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 160 mg sodium, 22 g carbs (1 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 2 g protein

Not That!: Sun Chips Original - 140 calories, 6 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 110 mg sodium, 19 g carbs (2 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 2 g protein

Baked Lays are by far the best chips in the vending machine because the sodium is low and the saturated fat is non-existent. Sun Chips, on the other hand, have nearly double the amount of total fat (including half a gram of saturated fat) and more calories than their oven-baked counterparts.

Nuts

Eat This: Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts - 160 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 100 mg sodium, 7 g carbs (2 g fiber, 4 g sugar), 7 g protein

Not That!: Corn Nuts Original - 180 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 230 mg sodium, 28 g carbs (2 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 3 g protein

Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts are the safest snack in the vending machine because they're loaded with protein, fiber, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Though they look and taste somewhat similar, Corn Nuts are nothing more than a blend of salted corn and partially hydrogenated oil, with a negligible amount of protein and fiber to boot.

Sugary Snack

Eat This: Rice Krispies Treat - 260 calories, 6 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 290 mg sodium, 48 g carbs (0 g fiber, 21 g sugar), 2 g protein

Not That!: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts - 400 calories, 13 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 340 mg sodium, 68 g carbs (1 g fiber, 30 g sugar), 4 g protein

The bulk of a Rice Krispies Treat is a fairly innocuous cereal, which keeps the damage to a minimum, but the same can't be said for a package of Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts. At over 400 calories, this treat packed with high-fructose corn syrup (amounting to more than an entire day's worth of sugar) is about as unhealthy as it gets.

Cookies

Eat This: Mini Chips Ahoy - 140 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 100 mg sodium, 19 g carbs (1 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 1 g protein

Not That!: Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies (140 calories, 7 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 105 mg sodium, 20 g carbs (1 g fiber, 9 g sugar), 1 g protein

Chips Ahoy and Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies look very similar from the outside, and though the nutritional info isn't all that different, there are a few key facts to keep in mind for when your inner Cookie Monster rears its ugly head and just can't live without a sweet snack. Famous Amos has more saturated fat, sodium, carbs, and sugar than Chips Ahoy, and though it may not seem like much, all of that can add up quickly if this cookie indulgence is a weekly habit.

Source:  https://www.eatthis.com/healthy-snacks-from-vending-machine/ 

Carolina Fresh operates vending machines throughout Raleigh, RTP, and Durham.  Please contact us if you are interested in placing a machine at your location.