Healthy Animal Crackers (2024)

FAQs

Are animal crackers healthy? ›

Parents trust companies like Disney and Walgreens to make safe products for their children, but our testing showed that when it comes to animal crackers, that trust is misguided. Testing by an independent lab in 2017 found high levels of acrylamide in the Disney animal crackers CEH purchased from Walgreens.

There's a rumor going around that animal and graham crackers are “healthy” choices — not true. Animal crackers have about 130 calories per ounce and graham crackers about 120 calories per ounce, although because each cookie is smaller you feel like you're getting more.

Not to mention they get so easily distracted at mealtime. As a result, your little one often gets pretty hungry between meals. That's when you bring on the snacks! Goldfish or animal crackers don't hurt once in a while but packaged snacks for kids are typically unhealthy and low in nutrients.

Animal crackers by Keebler Company contains 120 calories per 29 g serving. This serving contains 3.5 g of fat, 2 g of protein and 22 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 8 g sugar and 2 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate.

The four original Barnum's animals still in circulation are the lion, bear, elephant, and tiger. To these are currently added the giraffe, bison, zebra, hippopotamus, camel, hyena, rhinoceros, polar bear, monkey, cougar, sheep, seal, kangaroo, elephant, and gorilla.

Look for crackers made from mostly or all seeds—think flax, sunflower, pumpkin, and more. “These supply healthy fats, fiber, and protein,” Keating says. They also tend to be gluten-free. Look for crackers made with whole grains, or grain-free seed-only products like the Top Seedz below.

The Gist: Cheez-It baked snack crackers have been a hit for over a century. Though they're "made with real cheese," ingredients like food preservative TBHQ, high levels of sodium, and enriched flour make them fairly unhealthy. A 2021 study found that TBHQ can harm the immune system, specifically immune cell proteins.

“Triscuits aren't a bad choice, since the first ingredient is whole grain wheat, which is what you want to look for,” says Sassos. But it's not a calorie bargain, so pay attention to how many you eat and what you pile on top of each cracker. “The serving size is pretty meek, at only six crackers for 120 calories.”

Let the hunt for diabetic snacks commence. Your snacking escapades aren't about to slow down now that you need to bring the carb count down a bit. You're cool with ditching the Cheetos, Animal Crackers, and Cheez-Its.

They are not whole grain and are highly processed. Ritz Crackers are made with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat). A single serving provides 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Are pretzels a healthy snack? ›

Pretzels may be better than some fatty chips, but four out of five nutrition experts surveyed by Time say if you're trying to eat healthy, pretzels shouldn't be your go-to snack. Although pretzels are low-fat, they are also pretty paltry on the protein and fiber front, and they can be quite high in sodium and carbs.

Animal crackers have no nutritional value, but they contain slightly less sugar than cookies and kids love them.

It's cocoa powder that gives them an earthy chocolate flavor, and you can taste it, unmasked by any excess of added sugar — again, the puffy texture making them instantly recognizable as Stauffer's-made.

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, CANOLA OIL, YELLOW CORN FLOUR, DEXTROSE, FRUCTOSE, CALCIUM CARBONATE (SOURCE OF CALCIUM), BAKING SODA, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

Crackers are higher in calories and sodium than bread, and usually contain higher amounts of fat. In addition, crackers contain little to no fiber. However, in small quantities paired with foods that have fiber and protein, such as cheese and grapes, crackers can be a great addition to a healthy diet.

If you are going to eat packaged cookies, eat animal crackers, ginger snaps or fruit newtons, says Dr. Elaine Feldman, director of the Georgia Institute of Human Nutrition. Among store-bought cookies, these have the least cholesterol, she said.

The most common variety is light-colored and slightly sweet, but darker chocolate-flavored and colorful frosted varieties are also sold. Although animal crackers tend to be sweet in flavor like cookies, they are made with a layered dough like crackers and are marketed as crackers and not cookies.

The choice is yours, but I would give the advantage to the crackers, because of its lower fat content and extra fiber, which is something kids often don't have enough of in their diets. In moderation, either can be part of a healthy diet.