Summer is around the corner, and that means many of us are hoping to shed a little of that winter blubber in favor of a more slim, summer-friendly physique. But what is a poor little compulsive snacker to do when the munchies beckon? There are some old stand-bys, of course. Carrot sticks, a handful of nuts, an apple. But who are we kidding? Those recommendations are obviously from people who don’t understand the beauty of the first crunchy, crispy, salty bite into a perfectly formed and unbroken potato chip. Of course potato chips won’t help in slimmer summer endeavors, so the poor snacker is torn. Give in to the temptation and indulge in some good crunchiness? Take the high road and walk around the block or eat some grapes?

Lucky for us snackers, many companies have seen and understood the gulf between healthy snacking and the kind of snacking that really satisfies a craving. One of those companies is Snack Salad. A friend of mine turned me on to their signature product—the Snapea Crisps. These baked little beauties have exactly the right amount of crunch and exactly the right amount of sea salt to evoke the tasty goodness of a potato chip with significantly less fat, oils, processed ingredients, and carbohydrates. Everyone in our family loves them, from our 1-year-old son to me, an almost-30-year-old Snacker Extraordinaire.

I am a chip expert, but my wife’s sweet pats on the belly (which has recently grown just a little bit poofier as a result of my damned slowing metabolism) have turned my attention away from my beloved sour cream and onion or BBQ or cheese anything chips to other, healthier options. The Crunchy Peas (as we refer to them at our house, thanks to my 2-and-a-half-year-old) most definitely do the trick. You can find them in the produce section of your local grocery store, usually by the pre-packaged salad products or the croutons. They are a tasty addition to any salad as well, and add an extra serving of vegetables to your day. Just be careful because you can still overdo it. If you are really in the mood to snack it’s not very difficult to finish of a whole bag of these things.

What about a cure for the sweet-toothed Snacker? I’ve heard a banana will curb a chocolate craving, but anyone who appreciates chocolate knows that is total bull. Instead of grabbing a Milky Way (mmmm, Milky Way), my wife and I have discovered the magic of the Odwalla Bar! (yes, the exclamation point is a part of the product name). Our favorite is the Choco-walla bar. Here is the description from Odwalla’s website (also found on the back of the bar’s packaging):

You may be thinking, “Really? A bar? Those are always a little too grainy for me and don’t really succeed in the same way a creamy Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup does (mmm, Reese’s peanut butter cups).” I promise, this is not like eating a Clif Bar. The purpose of the Odwalla Bar(!) isn’t energy or meal replacement like Slim Fast, Luna, Clif, or any of the other bar products on the market. Odwalla’s mission is to provide “Real food for Humans” and their promise is “Nourishing the body whole.” The modus operandi at Odwalla is “Freshology.” They promise:

Now, before I start sounding like an Odwalla representative, I should note that many of the juice blends have proven much too sweet for even my Snacker’s sweet tooth, and that some of the bars still taste a little too bar-rish for me. But the Choco-walla is definitely a great alternative to that checkstand impulse M&Ms buy.