NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Certain foods, like Cheez-Its, contain just the right combination of carbs, fat and salt to light up our brain’s reward centers. And it’s no accident – food makers spend years – and millions of dollars – to land on this sweet spot for crave-inducing snacks.
More and more research is showing us that ultra-processed foods – like these cheesy snacks – are linked to an increase in anxiety, depression, inflammation, heart disease, certain types of cancer and more.
But we get it – Cheez-Its taste good, we love the savory, salty crunch – so we’ve put together a list of 6 better-for-you Cheez-it alternatives to try. All are naturally gluten-free + grain free; the following are listed in order of Molly’s personal favorites!
Compare to regular Cheez-Its:
- Ingredients: White flour, vegetable oil with preservative TBHQ, cheese, salt, paprika, yeast, soy lecithin
- TBHQ is a preservative linked to weakened immune response and in animal studies has been linked to liver enlargement, neurotoxic effects, convulsions and paralysis. Diets to manage ADHD (e.g. the Feingold diet) call for the avoidance of foods with TBHQ.
- Per ounce (~30 crackers): 150 calories, 8 grams fat, 17 grams carb, less than 1 gram fiber, 3 grams protein
Whisps Cheddar Cheese Crisps | GF
- Ingredients: Cheddar cheese. That’s it – just cheese.
- Per ounce (~23 crisps): 170 calories, 10 grams fat, 1 gram carb, 0 fiber, 10 grams protein
High Key Cheddar Almond Crackers | GF
- Ingredients include: Butter, resistant (slower-digesting) cassava fiber, almond flour, whey protein concentrate, lupin flower, egg whites, cheddar cheese, sea salt…
- Per ounce (~15 crackers): 140 calories, 10 grams fat, 2 net carbs, 8 grams fiber, 7 grams protein
365 Almond Flour Cheddar Flavored Crackers | GF
- Ingredients include: Nut and seed mix (almond flour, sunflower seed flour, flaxseed meal), cassava flour, tapioca starch, palm oil, nutritional years, cheddar cheese…
- Per ounce (~16 crackers): 150 calories, 8 grams fat, 18 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams protein
Mary’s Gone Crackers’ Cheezee Cheddar Flavor | GF, Vegan, Dairy Free
- Ingredients include: Chickpea flour, tapioca starch, palm fruit shortening, sunflower oil, sea salt
- Per ounce (~19 crackers): 140 calories, 6 grams fat, 19 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams protein
Simple Mills Farmhouse Cheddar Almond Flour Crackers | GF
- Ingredients include: Nut and seed mix (almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds), tapioca starch, cassava flour, organic cheddar cheese, sunflower oil, sea salt
- Per ounce (~17 crackers): 150 calories, 8 grams fat, 17 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams protein
From the Ground Up’s Cheddar Flavor Caulifower Crackers | GF, Vegan, Dairy Free
- Ingredients include: Cauliflower, potato, whole grain rice, cassava, rice flour… further down the list is vegetable blend (spinach, broccoli, carrot, tomato, beet, shiitake mushroom)
- Per ounce (~40 crackers): 120 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 19 grams, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams protein
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Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD is a registered dietitian + nutrition journalist in New Orleans, and founder of Ochsner Eat Fit nonprofit restaurant initiative. Tune in to her podcast, FUELED | Wellness + Nutrition and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @MollyKimballRD. See more of Molly’s articles + TV segments at www.mollykimball.com, and sign up for Eat Fit Wellness Bites weekly newsletter, here.
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