Published Sep 11, 2017

5 things to look for when shopping for snacks with less sugar

When shopping for low-sugar snacks, you're going to want to reach for brands with less added sugar, more protein, and pluses like probiotics like siggi's.

5 things to look for when shopping for snacks with less sugar

When shopping for low-sugar snacks, you're going to want to reach for brands with less added sugar, more protein, and pluses like probiotics like siggi's.

Published Sep 11, 2017

In Partnership With

siggi's

Written by

Well+Good Editors

Published Sep 11, 2017

In Partnership With

siggi's

Written by

Well+Good Editors

Your nutrient-dense salad at lunch was great and all, but sometimes you just need a little something to tide you over until dinner. But when you want your snack to pack the nutritional punch of a mini meal (rather than basically counting as a dessert), your options can feel limited. Have you seen how much sugar is in some granola bars?

Still, sometimes plain carrot sticks just won’t cut it. So what are the keys to look out for when on the hunt for mindful (and tasty) eats?

One majorly delicious option is in the dairy aisle, where you’ll find siggi’s yogurt—the brand that’s changing the snack game with simple ingredients and less sugar.

Siggi’s is so committed to upping the health factor of its protein-packed yogurts that the company added registered dietitian Abigail Kinnear to its rapidly expanding staff to help oversee education and get the word out about the elements that make it a smarter choice.

“What’s helped siggi’s become more popular is this growing awareness…that other yogurts can have so much sugar in them. And that’s why siggi’s shines.”

“What’s helped siggi’s become more popular is this growing awareness of what’s in your food, and of sugar, and the fact that other yogurts can have so much sugar in them,” Kinnear says. “And that’s why siggi’s kind of shines, because comparatively it’s really good.”

Founded 13 years ago by Siggi Hilmarsson, a New York City transplant from Iceland, siggi’s authentic Icelandic-style yogurt has always been lower in sugar—putting it years ahead of the currently booming low-sugar trend in food production.

But despite the recent focus on lowering sugar intake, Kinnear has a reminder not to take the trend to the extreme—i.e. trying to sustain a zero-sugar intake or eschewing fruit because of its sugar content.

“I’m a big believer of everything in moderation, so I’m not telling you to totally cut out sugar,” Kinnear says. “I think it’s just important to have perspective about what you’re putting into your body.”

Take that perspective to the grocery store, and scroll down for five dietitian approved tips to make your next snack shopping trip a breeze.

1. Look for a short, simple ingredients list

Kinnear’s first piece of advice when you’re in the supermarket aisle is to always check out the nutrition label—even on foods you might assume are healthy.

“A lot of the time, especially with processed food, people eat things and don’t realize that there’s a lot of not only sugar, but different types of fats and things you wouldn’t necessarily think would be in there,” Kinnear says. “Just look at something like peanut butter, which you’d assume would just be peanuts. But no, there can be sugar, palm oil, and all these other different things in there and you don’t know unless you look at the label.”

Becoming a prudent label-reader is the easiest way to ID ingredients you want to avoid in excess. Luckily, all of siggi’s yogurts have super short ingredients lists, without any add-ins you need to Google to figure out what they are.

2. When in doubt, opt for whole foods

The easiest way to avoid having to decode complicated nutrition panels is to buy foods that don’t have them. “Shift toward eating whole, real foods,” Kinnear suggests. “So instead of eating something processed, even like a granola bar, maybe reach for a piece of fruit or a vegetable, that you can say, ‘Oh this is a piece of broccoli, no label required.'”

But if you do grab a snack that has multiple ingredients, Kinnear stresses that understanding what they are is paramount. “Siggi’s really is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of having a very short ingredients list,” she notes. “The type of ingredients we put in our yogurt are things you’re going to find in your kitchen. In other yogurts you’re going to find thickeners, starches, sometimes gelatin, and other stuff you really don’t need.”

3. Watch out for sugar content

Hilmarsson created his Icelandic yogurts because he was shocked at how much added sugar he was finding in typical options in the U.S. (some of the leading brands contain as much sugar by weight as a can of soda). Opting for less sweet stuff is an efficient way to make sure you’re getting all the bang for your buck when it comes to calories.

“If you’re talking about refined sugar, it doesn’t have much nutritive value. It’s just empty calories really,” Kinnear says. “Sugar in fruit obviously comes with things like fiber and nutrients, but refined sugar added to a product doesn’t add much nutritive value, it’s just going to add extra calories and spike your blood sugar.”

4. Go for probiotics

From kombucha to sauerkraut to yes, yogurt, there are plenty of ways to get your daily dose of good bacteria to tap into its digestion-optimizing and immunity-boosting benefits.

Siggi’s actually recommends getting your probiotics in food-form, rather than from a supplement, for a more readily available source. A cup of filmjölk (fermented milk) or yogurt with “live and active cultures” listed as an ingredient will put you well within the the range of the recommended 1 billion to 10 billion CFUs a day.

5. Punch it up with protein

Kinnear’s go-to rec for healthy snacks is choosing ones that are high in protein (with fats added in as well) to help keep you full between meals, instead of sugary ones that metabolize quickly.

“In terms of the nutrition side, siggi’s has more protein than sugar, which I don’t think any other yogurt can say,” Kinnear says. “It’s usually the other way around, more sugar than protein, but ours is flipped.”

And the facts back her up. In the brand’s analysis of leading yogurts (between siggi’s, Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, and non-dairy yogurt, all in strawberry flavor) siggi’s was the only variety with more protein (16 grams) than sugar (11 grams), without using sugar alternatives.

“If you have more protein than sugar, it keeps you fuller for longer,” Kinnear says. “And then if you have one of the whole milk varieties of siggi’s it also has fat in there, which also helps with satiety. So that’s perfect for an afternoon snack or breakfast.”

In partnership with siggi’s

Photos: siggi’s

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Food Nutrition

Updated Feb 5, 2025

‘I’m a Food Safety Expert, and This Is the Exact Temperature Your Fridge Needs to Be to Prevent Nasty Bacteria From Growing’

Foods in the fridge need to be stored in cold temperatures to avoid bacterial growth. Find out the best fridge temperature.

‘I’m a Food Safety Expert, and This Is the Exact Temperature Your Fridge Needs to Be to Prevent Nasty Bacteria From Growing’

Foods in the fridge need to be stored in cold temperatures to avoid bacterial growth. Find out the best fridge temperature.

Updated Feb 5, 2025

Written by

Tiffany Ayuda

Photo: Stocksy / Anna Berkut

Updated Feb 5, 2025

Written by

Tiffany Ayuda

Maintaining a clean, organized fridge set at the proper temperature is ultimately what’s going to keep you safe from harmful, illness-causing bacteria. Hey, we’re certainly not calling on everyone to pick up the “fridgescaping” trend of decorating the inside of your fridge with candles, books, and picture frames. But you know what isn’t a good look? Slimy leftovers and rotting fruits and vegetables. That’s why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends chilling your foods at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. But is there a perfect temp? We spoke to a food safety expert to explain what the best fridge temperature is and why.

Experts in This Article

Bryan Quoc Le

food scientist and food consultant

What is the best fridge temperature for storing food?

According to Bryan Quoc Le, PhD, a food scientist and food science consultant, the ideal temperature is 37 degrees Fahrenheit. “Essentially, these are nearly the lowest temperatures you can get to before your food starts to frost over. The lower the temperature, the slower the growth of the microorganisms is. Every 10 degrees higher than that temperature (37 degrees Fahrenheit), the microorganisms can double their growth rate,” Quoc Le explains.

Most modern refrigerators allow you to set the exact temperature, but if it doesn’t come equipped with one, Quoc Le suggests placing some peanut oil in your fridge and seeing if it solidifies. “Peanut oil happens to have a freezing point of 37.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius), which is just slightly above the ideal temperature for a refrigerator. If you put peanut oil in the fridge and it solidifies, then your refrigerator is at the right temperature,” he says. That said, the FDA recommends checking often whether your food is chilling at the proper temperature, so buying a freestanding appliance thermometer is your best bet.

How to store food safely in the fridge

Aside from keeping your fridge at 37 degrees Fahrenheit, you can help prevent bacterial growth and foodborne illnesses by storing food properly and refrigerating cooked dishes shortly after eating.

1. Keep fruits and vegetables in the crisper

The crisper drawers in your fridge are specifically reserved for your fruits and vegetables because they don’t require as cold of a temperature as the rest of your fridge to prevent spoilage, Quoc Le says. Crisper bins expose your produce to different levels of humidity and restrict air flow, which will help fruits and vegetables prolong their longevity.

“If it gets too cold for them [fruits and vegetables], the tissue will start to break down. They go through what’s called chill injury. This means that they go through the same process as they would in the winter. When that happens, the plant will try to reabsorb a lot of the nutrients and break down quickly. They get softer, they get mealy, there’s going to be off flavors, and it’s not going to taste as good. They lose a lot of their sugars,” Quoc Le explains.

Other foods, like meat, dairy, and eggs, should be stored outside of the crisper drawers in their appropriate bins at cooler temperatures.

2. Place leftover food in the fridge immediately

Whether you just finished cooking or are reheating leftovers, you want to keep whatever food you don’t end up serving or eating back in the fridge ASAP. Leaving food out of the fridge allows bacteria to proliferate. “The danger zone is 60 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. So foods that are hot that cool down to that temperature and foods that are cold and warm up to that temperature, the microbial growth is going to be quite accelerated,” says Quoc Le. “Most modern refrigerators move heat fairly quickly. So ultimately, you don’t want to leave things on the stove for too long and have it come to room temperature.”

The rule of thumb is to avoid leaving perishable foods out for two hours or more, but you need to consider the environment they’re in. If you live in a hot, humid climate or if it’s a warm summer day, food is going to spoil faster. Certain foods aren’t going to go bad as quickly as others.

For example, “foods that have more acidity, more salt, or are high in sugars tend to be more resistant to microorganisms because they have a really hard time growing in things like that,” says Quoc Le. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that leftover food in the fridge should be reheated to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and ready-to-eat foods to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Soups, sauces, and gravies must come to a boil.

3. Clean up spills and throw away bad leftovers

Per the FDA, clean up spills as soon as they happen to avoid cross-contamination of bacteria from different foods. You also want to avoid “overpacking” your fridge to allow cool air to circulate and keep foods chilled at the right temp. When it comes to leftovers, meat products and dishes with vegetables are usually good for two to three days, Quoc Le says. “Again, things that have acidity and high sugar and salt content are going to be more resistant to spoilage, so you could probably extend that to six to seven days,” he explains.

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Food Nutrition

Published Jan 29, 2025

Looking for a Nutritionist? This Online Service Makes It Easier Than Ever to Work With an RD

Fay Nutrition is on a mission to make nutritionists more accessible to Americans. We tried out the service—here is our honest review.

Looking for a Nutritionist? This Online Service Makes It Easier Than Ever to Work With an RD

Fay Nutrition is on a mission to make nutritionists more accessible to Americans. We tried out the service—here is our honest review.

Published Jan 29, 2025

Written by

Christina Manian, RD

Published Jan 29, 2025

Written by

Christina Manian, RD

Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission

As a registered dietitian (RD) with more than a decade of experience, I’ve worked in a range of healthcare settings over the years— from inpatient hospitals and outpatient clinics to private practices—and the one issue that continues to plague all of these establishments is lack of insurance coverage for nutrition consultation.

Experts in This Article

Jason Rasmussen

Jason Rasmussen, Co-founder and CEO of Fay Nutrition

While patients in a hospital can typically seek the counsel of an RD as part of their stay, many won’t be able to continue that care once they go home as insurance coverage in outpatient and private practice settings is hard to come by. If clients do have coverage, it’s often for a very limited amount of sessions (around two per year maximum) Given that proper nutrition is one of the primary ways to prevent several types of chronic diseases, working with a nutritionist on healthy eating habits is something that almost all adults could benefit from.

Thankfully, one company has made it their mission to address these long-standing issues for patients and nutrition professionals alike…and that company is Fay Nutrition. As an RD, I tested this online service to get firsthand insight into how it works, what it offers, and if it’s worth trying.

What is Fay Nutrition?

Fay Nutrition is an online platform that connects board-certified registered dietitians/nutritionists (RDs and RDNs) to individuals through insurance-covered virtual or in-person appointments. It’s also the nation’s biggest and fastest-growing network of dietitians.

Fay was started by Jason Rasmussen, co-founder and CEO of Fay Nutrition. “Both my mom and sister are registered dietitians, and before starting at Harvard Business School, I was helping them with their private practice,” he said. “What I learned was that many dietitians struggled to accept insurance and open a private practice, yet so many people needed the help of an affordable, personal dietitian.”

Rasmussen soon made it his mission to empower RDs and make medical nutrition therapy more affordable and accessible to Americans. “In America, over half of adults¹ have one or more preventable conditions linked to eating patterns, but access to nutrition care has been gate-kept by prohibitively high costs and obstacles for dietitians to accept insurance,” he explained. The company aims to help millions of Americans live longer, healthier, and happier lives through the power of nutrition.

My Experience Using Fay Nutrition

A platform linking you to RDs that take your insurance certainly sounds alluring, but what is it actually like to use? Here’s how my test run went.

Given that I was trying the platform on a demo, I was given a special link with an accompanying payment method to use upon signing up. For at-home users, you’d sign up as you would for any other service, inputting your basic personal and payment information (for co-pays if you have any). You then enter your health insurance information. If you don’t have health insurance, your journey on the platform will end here as it hinges upon this prerequisite.

From there, it offered me a list of RDs to choose from based on my location, insurance company, and primary nutrition concern. With each listed RD, you can read a little bit about their philosophy and what areas of nutrition they specialize in.

The first RD I chose wasn’t actually available to see new clients—which was a little confusing, to be honest—but the next one I picked was. However, even though available for both virtual and in-person appointments, this next RD was located in Connecticut—a very long drive from my home in Colorado for an in-person session. If I hadn’t been looking for a virtual appointment, this would have required additional time and searching to find a Colorado-based RD.

Thankfully, virtual worked for me, so I went with the Connecticut-based RD and was able to get an appointment within a week of booking, which is impressive given that many outpatient and private practice RDs are booked out for weeks (if not longer). Booking was simple and I received plenty of helpful email communication after the fact, sharing everything I needed to know before the appointment, as well as frequent appointment reminders. Logging into my appointment was just as simple—I clicked the Zoom link in the email and entered right into the meeting.

My RD was very competent with an impressive 25 years of experience working in a range of settings with a variety of patients. She did all the right things when it came to an initial consultation: inquiring about my medical history, family history, basic biometrics, typical eating patterns, activity level, and more. She then offered very sound nutrition advice (I opted to receive general nutrition information) that was catered to me, recommending balanced eating practices that included all the major food groups (in line with my dietary preferences) to provide the correct amount of macro- and micronutrients.

We also had a candid conversation about who I was and what I was up to. This RD had nothing but positive things to say about working with Fay as a long-time professional in the field. She explained how Fay took care of all the behind-the-scenes insurance work, freeing up RDs to see more clients and often landing patients several covered appointments. This has allowed her to have long-standing relationships with Fay clients, making an even bigger impact on their health through nutrition therapy.

She shared several Fay client success stories with me and assured me that she was being compensated competitively by the company—all things I love to hear as an RD who supports other RDs.

Final Thoughts

Pros and Cons of Fay Nutrition

Pros:

Easy-to-use
Accessible, no matter your location
Works seamlessly with your insurance provider

Cons:

Fewer options for in-person appointments
Only accessible for those with insurance

Find a Nutritionist

Overall, I think Fay Nutrition is providing a great service for both RDs and patients. Throughout my career, I’ve seen time and time again how problematic a lack of insurance coverage for nutrition services can be for those who need it.

Fay addresses this by doing the grunt work for users and dietitians—a middleman that serves both sides. This enables more Americans (with health insurance) to receive nutrition care, while also empowering RDs to build up their businesses. The company also has an extensive vetting process for new hires (according to the RD I spoke to), ensuring that only experienced and well-qualified providers are featured on the platform.

So if you’re seeking nutrition consultation and have health insurance, it’s more than worth logging onto Fay to see what your options are. It’s far quicker and less frustrating than calling your insurance company for coverage confirmation and then doing additional leg work to find covered RDs in your area.