3 Vending Machines, 1 Nutritionist: What She Ate from Each

Desperate times...


As an R.D., I'm a huge believer in listening to your body. I tell all my clients (and anyone that will listen!) that they need to pay attention when their bodies are saying, "I'm slightly hungry." If you don't, you'll end up gnawing on anything in sight.

In a perfect world, we would all eat fresh, whole-food meals and snacks every three to four hours. But work, kids, errands, and life tend to get in the way—so sometimes you end up ravenous with no produce stand in sight. This is when the vending machine can help. 

I took photos of the last few vending machines I got snacks from, what I picked out, and why. Take a peek—it might come in handy the next time a vending machine's your only option.

At the Sports Complex...

I was picking up my daughter from soccer practice, and although it was almost dinner time, I knew I still had to get home, make dinner, etc. If I'd waited, I definitely would have picked while prepping dinner.

I went with the Fig Bar here! Even though it lists sugar pretty high up in the ingredient list, it was second—not first (that's not the case with all nutrition bars). Fig Bars are also GMO- and processed soy-free—both pluses in my book. Finally, while calories aren't the be all and end all, the calorie count here of 110 is pretty reasonable.

RELATED: How to Tell if a Nutrition Bar is Actually Healthy

At the Hospital...

I was visiting a friend here after a meeting and before lunch (but it was really lunch time, so I was starving!). 

This one was kind of a no-brainer. There were three appealing options: Trail mix, pistachios, and peanuts all seemed possible due to them being the least processed. Also, nuts have lots of fiber and protein, making them a filling snack. I went with the pistachios, though, because trail mix usually has added sugar and often sulfur (in the dried fruit), which always gives me a headache. Packaged peanuts like the ones shown here are usually roasted with a low-quality oil like cottonseed oil. The pistachios have only sea salt added, so they were the cleanest eat—and the obvious winner.

RELATED: The High-Protein Snack You're Not Eating—But Should Be

At School...

My son was playing in a dodgeball tournament, so I had to pick him up from a nearby school. The games went way later than expected, and by 8:30 p.m., I needed something!

The options in this machine were pretty dismal: Cookies, crackers, chips. Popcorn is actually a whole grain, and I love Skinny Pop because it’s non-GMO and a perfectly portioned bag. So I went with that! Each serving contains three grams of fiber, two grams of protein, and only 75 mg of sodium, making this a pretty solid vending machine option.

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