My son and I were out and about when SNACK TIME came upon us. I opened our trusty grab bag to find a petrified orange, a trap of stale pretzels and an empty sippy-cup. Yikes! Since that day I promised to keep the bag stocked with some healthy packaged snacks that would hold up in the bag, ready to be eaten when we needed them.

Obviously, cheese sticks, yogurt, and fresh fruit don’t do well hanging out in a bag meant for a rainy day. You need something in a sealed package that doesn’t need refrigeration to serve as part of your grab bag of emergency snacks. This means finding natural and nutritious snacks that come in a package.

Packaged foods are convenient to stash in the glove box, a diaper bag, or a desk drawer. Foods in a package can be as healthy, natural and nutritious as fresh foods. Let me help you spot the best choices by showing you what to look out for on a food label.

As you are reading, pull a snack food package from your pantry. First, flip the package over and look at the ingredient list. Does it have ingredients you recognize as healthy or that you may even have on your shelf for cooking? If you see Blue #1, Red #40 or artificial flavorings, back away now. Artificial colors, flavors and non-natural preservatives are not ingredients you need in your food or body, nor do they have any nutritional value.

Read on to learn the 7 things you should check for on snack nutritional labels:
Healthy Begins Here: Healthy Snack Checklist (Blogs.WebMD.com)