Healthy Snacks to Pack for Road Trips

Hitting the road this summer? Don’t forget to pack these healthy snacks for the trip.

Your cooler is chilled and ready to go. What do you put in it to keep you filled up and full of energy on the ride? Besides fresh fruit with fiber — like apples, bananas and easy-peel clementines — look for single-serve packaged items with little or no added sugar for your road trip. You don’t even need a cooler for many healthy road trip snacks. Fill a small plastic tote with items that don’t need to stay cold. No matter how long you’ll be driving, these goodies can get you where you need to go. Just remember the wipes for cleanup.

Cheese

Finger food — like cheese bites, sticks or rounds — make satisfying sugar-free and protein-packed snacks while you’re driving. Pair them with healthy chips and crackers or nibble on them alone.

Chips and crackers

Instead of potato chips, try crunchy seaweed chips. Seaweed chips are healthy snacks packed with nutrients and protein. If you prefer eating crackers, go beyond the typical saltines, and snack on ones with baked-in seeds and flax for added fiber.

Chocolate

Find healthy versions of dark chocolate for the ride. Look for dark chocolate-covered fruits and nuts for a double protein punch. Or, give in to your sweet tooth by snacking on dark chocolate with almonds that are seasoned with sea salt.

Dried and squeezable fruit

Sweet banana or apple chips dipped in peanut butter fill you up with protein and fiber. If fruit strips are more to your liking, stay healthy by choosing organic dried fruit and vegetable strips. Squeezable fruit pouches make filling on-the-go snacks, but look for packages with fewer than 12 grams of sugar per serving.

Guacamole

Dip cut-up vegetables, like celery and carrot sticks, into cups of guacamole. Made from mashed avocado, guacamole is a filling dip. You can find guacamole in small containers that are perfect to keep in your cooler.

Hummus

There’s no better bean than a chickpea. Hummus is a dip made by mashing and seasoning chickpeas, but you can also eat it on its own with a spoon. If you love chickpeas, try single-serve packages of whole roasted ones. Chickpeas are high in fiber and low in sugar. They have vitamins and minerals that produce calming hormones in your body.

Nuts and butters

You can’t just eat one nut, but you don’t want to overindulge in these high-protein snacks, either. Opt for single-serve packages of cashews, almonds or mixed nuts. Keep plenty of cool bottled water on board to wash them down. If you love nuts, take along creamy, healthful almond nut butter squeeze packs for the snack bin.

Protein bars

Protein bars are some of the best road trip snacks. However, many are high in sugar, so it’s important to read the labels. Choose bars that have fewer than 13 grams of sugar and more than eight grams of protein.

Smoothies

Bring along refreshing fruit and vegetable smoothies rather than stopping at ice cream shops for pricey ones. Make your own smoothies at home and put them in travel bottles to keep in the cooler. Or, indulge in new flavors you can buy from the grocery store. Similar to protein bars, smoothies can be culprits of too much sugar, so be sure to check the labels.

Olives

Heart-healthy olives now come in single-serve packets. They’ll quickly satisfy your hunger and that need for something savory that’s still good for you.

Do you have a road trip in your future? Let us know what you’re packing in the comments!

Interested in more stories like this? Our Summer Survival Guide is full of healthy living tips to start your summer right. Learn more here.