Food Showdown: Which Vending Machine Snack Should You Unwrap?

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Ah, the infamous vending machine. It's great and convenient when you need an afternoon pick-me-up, but you probably already know that most vending machine foods are not the healthiest choices. Here are two common vending staples, both from Hostess: the cherry-flavored Fruit Pie and a three-cake serving of Ho Ho's. Okay, the cherry pie does contain some fruit, but also has lots of sugar. The Ho Ho's are chocolate cake with cream, but one package usually contains three cakes! If you want a good size treat, which of these Hostess treats will satisfy your sweet tooth for fewer calories?

The Winner: Ho Ho's!
Even though this package contains three cakes, it will set you back 375 calories and 18 grams of fat.  While this is a lot of calories for a snack, you could easily split this package with one or two friends or co-workers.  Don't let the cherries in the Fruit Pie fool you. The entire pie contains 480 calories and 20 grams of fat.  If you must choose a vending machine snack, pretzels (about 110 calories per serving) make a good low-cal choice.

What's the healthiest vending machine snack you've tried?