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Over 100 snacks better than Goldfish for kids

If I can stop one goal of the BIG food industry in the way I raise my daughter it would be this:

Refuse to buy junk food designed to be addictive that has no nutritional value. 

And refusing to feed my daughter Pepperidge Farm Goldfish fits the bill brilliantly. But why is this snack something almost every child in America eats in the first place? Parents buy them by the gallon carton full at Costco. Preschools and day cares serve them. It’s time for this to stop. 

First, let’s talk about what’s not on the label. The majority of wheat in this country is sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup weedkiller) as a drying agent before harvest (1), which is ending up in finished products on the shelf. Tests have specifically found residues of glyphosate in Goldfish Crackers (1). This chemical is known to cause cancer (2).

The cheese in Goldfish Crackers is not organic. That means it comes from factory farmed cows that were raised on an unhealthy diet of food that was not organic and probably sprayed with glyphosate and other pesticides (3). When you buy Goldfish crackers, you are supporting the industrial complex of crap food. And you don’t need to do that. Kids will be just fine without Goldfish Crackers and I will prove it to you. 

When you combine the blood sugar spiking ingredient white flour, cheap oils likely produced with hexane with an addictive flavoring like autolyzed yeast which is just MSG disguised as another name – you create the perfect food for hooking your brain to crave it over and over again. Autolyzed yeast is an excitotoxin, purely used to increase food cravings and irresistibility, so you eat more than you should. I personally don’t want my child’s taste buds to be hijacked by foods like this. We need to stop the habit of brainless munching of low quality foods that has led millions of Americans to diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. 

But here’s the good news… 

I put together a list of over 100 snacks that are a zillion times better than Goldfish Crackers.

This is for all the moms and dads out there who think they need Goldfish Crackers to have snacks on-the-go for their kids. You can stash any of these alternative snacks in your bag or car, or wherever you go and you’ll always have a healthy snack handy for your child that is non-white flour and non-white sugar. 

It’s time to stop letting our kids get hooked on nutrition-less dead food! Big food has done of enough damage to our health. Let’s break their control together. 

Over 100 Packaged Snacks A Zillion Times Better Than Goldfish Crackers For Your Kids

Choose organic whenever possible. I linked to the products to make shopping easy for you. 

Note: this list doesn’t include the myriad of fresh fruits and vegetables and homemade snacks you can make in your kitchen – which are the snacks I offer most to my daughter. 

Crunchy Snacks

1. Newman’s Own Spelt Pretzels

2. Unique Organic Sprouted Wheat Pretzels (the ones with sprouted whole wheat & olive oil)

3. Natierra Nature’s Organic Freeze-Dried Peas

4. Edward & Sons Vegetable Brown Rice Snaps

5. Edward & Sons Toasted Onion Brown Rice Snaps

6. Edward & Sons Black Sesame Brown Rice Snaps

7. Edward & Sons Brown Rice Snaps

8. Suzie’s Puffed Rice Thin Cakes

9. Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Cakes

10. Lundberg 5 Grain Thin Stackers

11. Lundberg Red Rice & Quinoa Thin Stackers

12. Lundberg Brown Rice Lightly Salted Thin Stackers

13. LesserEvil Organic Popcorn

14. Mary’s Gone Crackers

15. Mary’s Gone Crackers Super Seed Crackers

16. Mary’s Gone Sea Salt Pretzels

17. Brad’s Kale Veggie Chips

18. Brad’s Sweet Potato Veggie Chips

19. Brad’s Cheddar Veggie Chips

20. Brad’s Red Bell Pepper Veggie Chips

21. Brad’s Broccoli Cheddar Veggie Chips

22. Brad’s Crunchy Kale

23. Barnana Plantain Chips Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

24. Barnana Plantain Chips Acapulco Lime

25. Barnana Plantain Chips Sea Salt & Vinegar

26. Doctor In The Kitchen Sea Salt Flackers

27. Doctor In The Kitchen Cinnamon & Currant Flackers

28. Doctor In The Kitchen Rosemary Flackers

29. Doctor In The Kitchen Savory Flackers

30. Hu Everything Grain-Free Crackers

31. Hu Sea Salt Grain-Free Crackers

32. Hu Pizza Grain-Free Crackers

33. Rhythm Kale Chips

34. Rhythm Cauliflower Bites

35. Rhythm Beet Chips

36. Rhythm Carrot Sticks

37. Simple Mills Farmhouse Cheddar Crackers 

38. Simple Mills Sprouted Seed Crackers

39. Simple Mills Sea Salt Crackers

40. Simple Mills Rosemary & Sea Salt Crackers

41. Simple Mills Garlic & Herb Sprouted Seed Crackers

42. Simple Mills Everything Sprouted Seed Crackers

43. Simple Mills Sundried Tomato & Basil Crackers

Savory Snacks

44. Gaea Green Olives

45. Sunfood Black Olives

46. SeaSnax Seaweed Snacks

47. Artisana Organics Raw Cashew Butter

48. Artisana Raw Almond Butter Packets

49. Artisana Raw Walnut Butter Packets

50. Go Raw Sunflower & Pumpkin Fiesta Seed Mix

51. Go Raw Pumpkin, Sunflower & Watermelon Seeds Mix

52. Go Raw Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt

53. Go Raw Sprouted Organic Sunflower Seeds

54. ELAN Organic Raw Almonds

55. Food to Live Raw Almonds

56. Terrasoul Superfoods Raw Cashews

57. NOW Foods Raw Cashews

58. Beyond Nature Raw Walnuts

59. Food to Live Raw Macadamia Nuts

60. Elan Organic Raw Pistachios

61. Food to Live Raw Pecans

62. Organic Wild Jungle Peanuts

63. NOW Foods Raw Brazil Nuts

64. The Good Bean Crispy Crunchy Chickpeas

65. Made In Nature Veggie Pops

66. Divine Organics Golden Princess Mix

67. Trail Mix (make your own with raw nuts, seeds, and dried fruit)

68. Nick’s Sticks 100% Grass-Fed Beef Snack Sticks

Sweet Snacks

69. Natierra Nature’s Freeze-Dried Bananas

70. Natierra Nature’s Freeze-Dried Beets

71. Thousand Lakes Freeze-Dried Bananas & Strawberries

72. Natierra Nature’s Freeze-Dried Mangoes

73. Natierra Nature’s Freeze-Dried Raspberries

74. Natierra Nature’s Freeze-Dried Strawberries

75. Natierra Nature’s Freeze-Dried Apples

76. Natierra Nature’s Freeze-Dried Tropical Fruits

77. Nova Scotia Organics Freeze-Dried Wild Blueberries

78. Nova Scotia Organics Freeze-Dried Pineapple Chunks

79. Next Organics Coconut Chips

80. Made in Nature Vietnamese Cinnamon Toasted Coconut Chips

81. Made In Nature Organic Maple Vanilla Coconut Chips

82. Joolies Medjool Dates

83. Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola Bars

84. Go Raw Choco Crunch Cookie Crisps

85. Go Raw Ginger Snap Cookie Crisps

86. Go Raw Organic Carrot Cake Cookie Crisps

87. Go Raw Organic Lemon Pie Cookie Crisps

88. North Coast Organic Apple Sauce

89. North Coast Organic Apple Sauce with Cinnamon

90. Peaceful Fruits Organic Fruit Strips

91. Blueberry Lemon Raw Crunch Bars

92. Evo Hemp Bars

93. Health Warrior Pumpkin Seed Bars

94. Barnana Coconut Chewy Banana Bites

95. Made In Nature Figgy Pops

96. Go Raw Sprouted Bites

97. Nud Fud Goji Chia Banana Crisps

98. Rhythm Crunchy Mango Bites

99. Rhythm Crunchy Pineapple Bites

100. Mavuno Harvest Dried Bananas

101. Made In Nature Apple Rings

102. Little Duck Organics Tiny Fruits

Chewy Snacks

103. Nature’s Wild Fruit & Snacking Nut Bites

104. Looney Pruney Organic Pitted Prunes

105. Newman’s Own Raisins Mini-Boxes

106. Navitas Naturals Goji Berries

107. Food To Live Dried Bing Cherries

108. Peeled Snacks Dried Mango

109. Made in Nature Dried Pineapples

110. Eden Organic Dried Cranberries

111. Navitas Organics Goldenberries

112. Made In Nature Dried Smyrna Figs

113. Made In Nature Dried Apricots

114. Navitas Organics Mulberries

115. Mavuno Harvest Dried Jackfruit

116. Rhythm Watermelon Slices

117. Pan’s Mushroom Jerky

Now there’s no excuse to ever buy Goldfish Crackers ever, ever again. Am I right?

Which of these snacks are you going to try? Tell me in the comments below! 

And, please share this post to inform parents everywhere that it’s okay to stop buying Goldfish Crackers. There are over 100 better options now BOOM! 

Xo,

Vani

 

 

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46 responses to “Over 100 snacks better than Goldfish for kids

  1. I noticed you mentioned several Simple Mills products. My kids love the almond crackers. Was there a reason you left the Almond crackers off or Is it that they include sunflower oil? Thanks, Vani!! Faith. Woodstock, GA

    1. I think they are a much better option than Gold Fish. Which specific one did you not see? I should add it!

  2. Do you have any materials to show to a daycare to encourage them to change menus for kids. I am beyond annoyed by their selection of pathetic and unhealthy choices. It’s very sad and frustrating.

    1. Good question, I don’t… but maybe what I would do is take their standard list and offer alternatives – or pack your child’s food.

      1. Most daycare or after school care facilities are mandated by government food restrictions. I have always had that issue with my daughter. You cannot bring in outside food. Sure you can make suggestions but with their budgets & guidelines & funding very little will likely change if any. The only thing you can do is have your kid refuse something if it’s that bad (and possibly be hungry) or if they have an allergy then they would get some other alternative (and may be the only time you can bring in outside food if allergies were severe enough). Like school lunches,they say it is healthy and they’ve made changes but they remain completely unnutritious and sometimes downright scary. At least we have the option to pack for school lunch. I have tried to switch out many of our products & refuse to eat certain products etc but it is super hard to enforce outside of the home.

      2. That’s an excellent idea. Even emailing this list is a great idea to send to the daycare directors!

  3. Extensive list – thank you! Although some of these snacks still have to be taken with a “grain of salt” – no pun intended. They can be high in sodium and often, too starchy – thus not good for little ones to snack on regularly (I am thinking of their dental health as well as the carbohydrate load). Moderation and mindfulness is the key 🙂
    Thank you for your hard work Vani.

    1. We are currently trying to replace Goldfish crackers. I have to admit I love eating them because they taste really good. So I’m looking at your “Crunchy Snacks” list. I see all the food choices have links to Amazon. We usually grocery shop at Walmart, Frys and Costco. Can I can find any crackers from your list at any one of these 3 grocery stores?

  4. Vani, what about Annie’s Organic Snack Mix? YumEarth organic fruit snacks? Are these OK in your opinion?

  5. Roll over image to zoom in

    Looney Pruney California Organic Pitted Prunes

    Love prunes!!

  6. Have you heard of the Organic brand, LATE JULY? They offer many varieties of chips. My favorite is their tortilla chip with many seeds. While grain, flax seeds, chia seeds, quinoa, etc.
    What is your opinion??

    1. I am a fan of Late July as well! I found them in my quest for a “saltine” to replace the horrible wheat one’s I’ve been eating for years. They have TBHQ in the oil that upsets me the most!! I just need my crackers (especially when I’m nauseous or sick) so I found Late July & Schar (gluten free if needed) that have great crackers!!

      1. Does Late July make crackers, or just chips? I would love to find a healthy alternative for the saltiness that my family uses (mostly in meatloaf & salmon patties).

  7. I would love to order a snack box with tons of samples of these!! then I can identify what the kids like 🙂

    1. Sonia, this is just my opinion, but maybe store-brand organic snacks, like raisins. Kids need to brush their teeth after eating raisins, btw! Publix Greenwise is a good organic store brand.

      1. Unfortunately, EWG recently released a study showing that 99% of raisins had pesticides, even organic. So disappointing.

    2. I am from Egypt, we don’t have the luxury of all these options, we are lucky if we found organic fruits! So, what I do with my son, is offering fresh Fruits! And he loves it… sometimes I give him baked sweet potatoes with date syrup (natural) with a dash of cinnamon and raisins, yogurt with kiwi and honey…also baking (sugar-free cupcakes) is best, but when I’m busy and tired fresh fruits are my best options

      1. Noha – Fresh fruits are the best – nothing more natural than that – just be careful to give it to your son either before a meal or a few hours after he has eaten. Since they digest so fast, eating them away from meals avoids having them create fermentation in his stomach (that goes for any of us eating fresh fruit by the way). YOUR SON IS SO LUCKY!!

  8. I’m a big fan of Simple Mills products. I saw them listed in your crackers but not in the sweet snacks. You really should include these: They have awesome chocolate chip, double chocolate chip and toasted pecan cookies that are incredible!

    Their gluten-free crackers are made from almond flour and sprouted seeds. Also, I like to spread raw tahini and/or a product called NuttZo™ Organic made from cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, flax & chia seeds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds and Celtic sea salt.

  9. yes, but any other type of cheese cracker? Even if it is one you can make at home, if so maybe a recipe? Thanks!

    1. Thanks Vani! I appreciate you. I have never bought Goldfish and never will. I take a healthier snack to church for my daughter where they serve Goldfish. This list you provided is great.

  10. Vani thank you so much for this extensive list. I love it! The healthier alternatives are out there but some people still just grab the “popular” ones instead. I love researching ingredients whether it’s the food I eat or the makeup, creams, shampoos etc that I use. There are tons of options and the list is growing as people demand higher quality ingredients. I always look at it this way – the more I take care of myself and my family now, the more money I’ll save in the future on doctors and pharmaceuticals. Love everything you stand for and all you do. Thank you! ❤️

  11. $38.08 per pound for dried peas. Who buys this?

    I didn’t look at all of them, but all of them were crazy expensive and a lot are mostly starches and salt.

    1. My 1 year old and 2 year old will refuse every single one of these. I guarantee you. I’ve tried almost 80% of these snacks. My children will not touch anything that tastes like dirt, earth, or healthy. I would love to see a list of actual snacks that are similar to the crappy ones-but with better ingredients. I appreciate all these, but they are basically multiples of the same thing-just different flavors. So if my kids don’t like one thing-they are gonna hate 6 things already on your list because they are the same thing. If you can go into the crappy aisles of walmart-take a picture of each item that normal every day kids eat, then put a different alternative next to it-that is similar to the before item. Not a picture of goldfish then the alternative be “dried plantains”. Because that’s not even close to goldfish. My children hate anything earthy or “soy latte” ish. If that means sense. It is very very hard to watch my kids cry of hunger because they won’t take the seaweed scraps that I try to give them. Children want fun. They want yummy. These snacks are mainly for adults. I understand a lot of children love these! And that’s amazing! I WISH my kids would eat all of this. But it’s not possible. My kids want goldfish, Oreos, Doritos, gogurt, beef jerky, string cheese, grilled cheese, quesadillas, McDonald’s, Gatorade, ect. Help pleeeease

      1. Sorry to say, but by the way you’re referring to the healthier options as tasting like “dirt, earthy, soy latte” and that kids want “fun and yummy” like junk food goes to show you have instilled your own opinion on your children. Once you truly commit to eating clean, all the junk will taste like junk, to you and your children. And you will no longer look for healthy food that is make to taste like junk food.

      2. Sorry to say, but by the way you’re referring to the healthier options as tasting like “dirt, earthy, soy latte” and that kids want “fun and yummy” like junk food goes to show you have instilled your own opinion on your children. Once you truly commit to eating clean, all the junk will taste like junk, to you and your children. And you will no longer look for healthy food that is made to taste like junk food.

  12. This is a great list but unfortunately they are expensive and not available to many. I have 3 children and I have tried some of these and they are not fan favorites. That doesn’t mean I run out and buy what grandma & grandpa would give them but I also can’t force them to eat these. We’ve tried to add sunflower seed butter, jelly, etc. They are also often a much dryer consistency and not as ‘safe’ to eat for a young eater, especially someone just gaining the skills to chew and manage food efficiently. I am a health care professional and this is a constant struggle for me in work and with my family. I love the work you do but I feel I need to share my comment because the struggle is real!

  13. Question for Vani or anyone else on here…can some of these on the list be purchased at major grocery stores such as Costco, Vons, Ralphs etc.? I’d love to buy some but with the shutdown, a bit difficult to spend time browsing aisles at the grocery stores trying to find these on my own.

    1. Our Costco sells simple mills almond crackers and a multigrain cracker that is good with clean ingredients!

  14. Hi Vani.

    Have your book and am trying to follow it for myself. Great list above as a starter fit those based on the USA.
    Have you /could you do an article on how to entice kids (9/10 years old) off their current staples of fries, nuggets, pasta and sausages please? Can’t get them to try anything ender at the moment
    Thanks, Barry.

  15. Well. How very disappointing. I will start trying some of these others. I can vouch for the Lesser Evil, Elan & Now products- wonderful and fresh- will have to pay better attention to look for the others- I know I have seen several of these brands in other stores. Curious: have you ever analyzed products sold at Aldi stores? If any of the products above come to Aldi, it’s usually a special, not a staple. (That’s how I found Lesser Evil popcorn). That’s where I do the primary amount of my shopping. I tend to find myself buying more of the Simply Nature brand. I do believe in balance, but you are right… if we are mindlessly munching on something that is zero or negative nutrition… someone is making a massive profit off of wreaking havoc on human nature and our bodies- I think its absolutely appropriate to speak up! Thank you for your voice.

  16. I absolutely love Peeled Snacks products – especially their Organic Mango. My daughter loves them too. We buy several packs every time we see them in store. This is a great list as our family also enjoys many of these other products.

  17. I stopped buying goldfish but then remember another page saying the whole grain ones were okay so still get those. Are they not? What about Annie’s cheddar bunnies?

  18. Great info! However, it is best to list references other than your own website to prevent bias. It will make your arguments stronger. Would love to see the sources.

  19. We need more stores to carry healthy organic products. My hometown is a small town & it’s extremely difficult to find anything ORGANIC there (there’s a small Giant Eagle, which might have a few options, but not as many as in the city or suburbs, & a Hometown, which I haven’t seen much if anything organic in there, maybe organic Tostitos on occasion; or drive a half hour to Martin’s which has a few more options but still not as much as Whole Foods). Where my hubby & I live at now is basically suburbs, so we can occasionally drive 45 minutes to Whole Foods, but otherwise the options include Giant Eagle (we shop there the most), Aldi (but can never find anything we want in the small one by our house), Walmart (I haven’t seen a lot of organic options there, but they do have Cascadian Farms cereal & granola bars for an occasional treat), & Shop n Save (which we haven’t been to for a while).

  20. Hello – are the Good Bean chickpeas still considered “good” even though they are made with the bad oils?

    Thanks!

  21. What is your opinion on the organic goldfish? Unfortunately not organic cheese, but organic wheat flour and no canola oil or autolyzed yeast. Alot fewer ingredients, which I find to always be preferable.

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