As Christmas shoppers make their holiday purchases this month, they might make a pit stop in the junk food aisle.
Though buying Cheetos, Oreos and Twinkies is tempting, food and drink website The Daily Meal says these snacks and others are unhealthy because they contain "staggering amounts of fat and calories." The website analyzed packaged snack food and determined the 10 worst offenders in terms of fat, sugar, salt and calories.
According to Penn Medicine, adults should consume no more than 2,200-2,900 calories and 73-97 grams of fat a day, based on gender and age. According to the American Heart Association, the maximum amount of added sugars an adult should eat a day is 37.5 grams for men and 25 grams for women. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams a day.
While The Daily Meal acknowledges that eating snacks in moderation should do little harm, the website says most consumers don't pay attention to the serving size listed on packages.
Potato Chips
Bet you can't eat just one...though maybe you should. According to The Daily Meal, thicker potato chips of any flavor with cheese or other dairy products often contain the most fat and calories.
A serving size of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream (11 chips) contains 10 grams of fat, 160 calories and 180 milligrams sodium.
Tortilla Chips
Tortilla chips are lower in fat and calories than potato chips, but they're still unhealthy because they're usually fried, according to The Daily Meal.
With a serving size of 6 chips, Tostitos Hint of Lime contains 7 grams of fat, 150 calories and 125 milligrams of sodium. And as The Daily Meal puts it, "Are you really going to stop eating after six chips?"
Snack Mixes
These snacks seem to be nothing but a mix of over-the-top sodium levels, according to The Daily Mail. A serving size of Chex Mix Bold Party Blend (1 cup) contains 9 grams of total fat, 240 calories and a staggering 400 milligrams of sodium.
Corn Based Snacks
Popular snacks like Fritos and Cheetos, which are made of highly processed corn, contain little to no nutritional value, according to The Daily Mail. That's because once corn snacks are fried, loaded with sodium and tossed in cheese, "they become some of the unhealthiest things you can eat."
A serving size of Fritos Original (32 chips) contains 10 grams of fat, 160 calories and 170 milligrams of sodium.
Gummy Candy
These gelatin-based snacks are unhealthy because of their sugar content that is "through the roof," according to The Daily Meal.
While a serving size of Starburst GummiBurst (9 pieces) contains no grams of fat, it does contain 22 grams of sugar, 130 calories and 40 milligrams of sodium.
Hard Candy
These treats may be small, but The Daily Meal says they're packed full of sugar--and not much else.
The serving size for Jolly Ranchers Hard Candy Cherry Stix is 1 piece, and that contains 12 grams of sugar, 70 calories and 25 milligrams of sodium.
Cookies
In order to prolong their shelf life, store-bought cookies are often loaded with trans fat, The Daily Meal reports.
A serving size of Oreos (3 cookies) contains 7 grams of fats, 160 calories, 140 milligrams of sodium and 14 grams of sugar.
Snack Cakes
They're advertised as "snack classics," but the only good thing about Twinkies is their taste, The Daily Meal says.
A serving size of Twinkies (2 cakes) contains 4.5 grams of fat, 150 calories, 220 milligrams and 18 grams of sugar.
Baked Goods
The Daily Meal says these products are loaded with "a perfect storm" of saturated fat, sodium and copious amounts of sugar.
A serving size of Little Debbie Mini Powdered Donuts (4 donuts) contains 11 grams of fat, 220 calories, 190 milligrams and 14 grams of sugars.
Chocolate
While chocolate bars contain varying amounts of sugar, fat and calories, most contain at least 20 grams of sugar, according to The Daily Mail.
A serving size of Twix (2 cookies) contains 12 grams of fat, 250 calories, 100 milligrams and 24 grams of sugars.
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