The Unhealthiest Snacks On the Planet

To keep blood sugar levels stable, metabolism running, and weight loss on track, a snack can be one of the best tools in your arsenal. But if you choose unhealthy snacks—they're often the kinds that come in packages—then you do the exact opposite. Big yikes.

That's why we've rounded up some of the most popular chips, crackers, popcorn, cookies, and snack bars that either have sketchy nutritionals or do more harm than good for your belly. Make sure you're not munching on these truly unhealthy snacks. Instead, stock up on The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.

Chips

These are an American favorite—especially for the male population. They're not the worst chip on this list in calories or sodium, but they do still contain 10 grams of fat. If six-pack abs are in your sights, these chips are not your friend.

Although these may have a more pleasing texture, they're not worth the eye-popping fat content. (Trivia: Ruffles was originally created to mimic the ruffles in fabric during the late 1950s. Its design was supposed to prevent breakage.)

These are so salty and oily, you'll find a coating on both your fingers and tongue after just one. That's reason enough to stay away!

The use of soybean oil and MSG drops the rank of these Pringles. MSG increases appetite by blocking the message to the brain that you've eaten your fill—hello, abdominal fat! Consuming MSG is only one of the bad habits making you fat!

If you're one of those people who puts ketchup on literally everything, you're probably tempted to indulge in these chips. But proceed with caution. Combining two salty items can only produce one result: sky-high sodium and fat. One serving contains 10 grams of fat and 300 milligrams of sodium.

Like the salt and vinegar variety, Pringles' cheddar cheese chips are high in fat, including saturated fat, and sodium. So these are a no-go as well.

The nutritional profile of these and Ruffles' Original are about the same. However, this cheesy flavor contains artificial dyes, which a study in Neurotherapeutics discovered can contribute to ADHD in children.

If you take nothing else from this article, heed this—the Herr's salt and vinegar chips have a whopping 490 milligrams of sodium per serving, far higher than any other option on this list. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams per day, but they hope most adults will actually consume no more than 1,500 milligrams per day. So keeping this in mind, one serving of these chips is almost one-third of that. Yikes!

These oven-baked chips may boast a lower fat content than their fried counterparts, but they add in a ton more salt—and sodium counts big time. For every extra gram of salt you eat in a day—that's a mere 1/5 of a teaspoon, or about what you'll find in one of those tiny salt packets from the soup shop—your risk of obesity climbs by 25%, according to a study at Queen Mary University in London. Researchers speculate that sodium alters our metabolism, changing the way we absorb fat.

One serving of these Fritos costs you 10 grams of fat and 270 milligrams of sodium, both diet demons. They're also made with caramel coloring—which is often found in soft drinks (one of the unhealthiest foods on the planet)—and is a possible carcinogen in humans, as found by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study. If the possibility of absorbing more fat doesn't scare you, an increased risk of cancer should.

You know how these spicy cheesy chips dye your fingertips red? Just imagine what they'd do to your insides. This snack is jam-packed with artificial dyes and MSG, an addicting flavor enhancer that keeps you reaching into the orange bag.

Spicy foods are notoriously good for giving your metabolism a kick, but these red hot chips are an exception. Riddled with artificial dyes, MSG, and a whopping 300 milligrams of sodium, you're better off skipping this snack.

Microwave Popcorn

Although we kept serving sizes consistent for most of the popcorn bags, we made an exception for this one. That's because the bag is marketed as a single serving, so we'd assume people would likely work through the entire thing. Doing so means you'll set yourself back 16 grams of fat coming from inflammatory palm oil. It's not just microwaveable popcorn that does it; check out these foods with misleading serving sizes to see more examples of how you could be duped into consuming more calories than you were initially led to believe.

This bag of kernels is a relic of the old days. Before the FDA announced that it was banning partially hydrogenated oils—also known as artery-clogging trans fats—from food, the majority of microwaveable popcorn brands contained this shelf-stable ingredient. Because the ban was enforced in 2018, many brands have moved away from this cardiotoxic ingredient. Not Cousin Willie's. The Indiana-based company serves up 150% of your recommended maximum intake of trans fats—one of the worst foods for your brain—in their standard serving.

Besides the high sodium and fat content, we were also irked by Pop-Secret's addition of palm oil and vague "natural flavors" to their kernels.

With TBHQ and palm oil, we'd rather stay snackless while watching a movie!

It might have less fat than other popcorn brands, but Pop-Secret contains more salt. And it's no secret that a high salt intake is bad news for your health.

Those 14 grams of fat are full of linoleic acid: an omega-6 fatty acid that has been found to be possibly adipogenic, which means it promotes fat storage in our bodies. Luckily, you have the calorie-cutting power in your own hands, thanks to Orville Redenbacher's "Pour Over" butter. Use the flavor sparsely!

This might surprise you, but the ingredients of Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter are the exact same as the "Homestyle" bowl listed below. But because there is more fat and sodium in this recipe, we'd recommend going with the option below if you have to choose one.

It might be called "Homestyle," but we'd bet you don't have "artificial flavors" or "TBHQ" in your pantry. We do, however, hope you have these healthy pantry staples!

Crackers

They're a go-to staple snack when your stomach is upset—but, unfortunately, not so great in general. At first glance, the nutritionals don't seem too bad but since these crackers are so nutrient-void, doubling or tripling your serving size (which is pretty easy to do when the recommended serving size is just four crackers!) can spell bad news for your belly fat.

As the name suggests, this box contains a handful of dehydrated vegetables. The problem is, the main ingredient is still flour and it's bogged down with partially hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup.

Time to stop reaching into your tote bag and doling these out to your kiddos; they're soiled with sugar, artificial dyes, and partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil.

Cheez-Its' lack of fiber prevents these crackers from having a meaningful impact on hunger. If you're going to snack, do so smartly.

If you're looking for a plain cracker to calm your tummy, you can find one without preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

The four grams of fat here come mostly from soybean oil, which the experts are not exactly fans of.

Wheat Thins rely heavily on refined grains, which means less protein and fiber in each serving.

Cookies

These cookies are double stuffed with fudge, which clearly means double the trouble. And 14 grams of sugar in just cookies is never a good look.

This might be the classic cook from your childhood, but it's loaded up with sugar and HFCS. Plus, the simple carbs aren't doing you any favors, either. Along with the zero fiber you're getting, you'll end up staying hungry, reaching for more and that's not going to help you keep your weight-loss goals in check.

Here, you're getting 11 grams of added sugar in one serving—yes, that's a whole lot!

And if couldn't get any worse, it can. Mega Stuf Oreos should never be a staple of your lunch lineup, and if you look closely, this serving is only for 2 cookies. So please, leave the Mega Stuf Golden Oreos on the store's shelf, as it's high in calories, fat, and sugar.

The biggest problem with Famous Amos cookies? It's how small they are, as it's way too easy for the calories and fat to rack up as you mindlessly munch away.

Nutrition Bars

If the whopping 350 calories in this Detour bar didn't deter you from skipping it, consider the ultra-long ingredient list.

Following a protein blend, the second ingredient in this bar is sugar in the form of fructose. A study by the Endocrine Society found that fructose is a major cause for dangerous visceral fat.

Opt for a Snickers bar over this chocolate brownie Clif and you'll save a gram of sugar!

This bar boasts 10 grams of protein and is under 200 calories, so at first glance, it may seem like a good choice. But don't be fooled—it certainly deserves a spot on our list of unhealthy snacks. It contains four different forms of sugar within the first six ingredients listed on the nutrition label. Brown rice syrup and corn syrup are the first two ingredients, which means they're the most abundant. Plus, the lack of fiber won't keep your hunger pangs or blood sugar spikes at bay. For better nutrition and protein bar options, don't miss our list of best nutrition bars.