Snacking isn’t the enemy – low-nutrient choices are. Here are six afternoon nibbles that will satisfy your cravings while keeping your health goals on track.

Emily Craig

December 29, 2025

It’s 3pm and your stomach is rumbling. With hours until dinner, you’re contemplating which snack could tide you over. A biscuit or two would hit the spot, and a handful of almonds would be healthier, albeit dull.

The conundrum over what food, if any, we should be eating between meals has been hotly debated. But King’s College London scientists concluded that snacking is not inherently unhealthy – what matters is that people opt for high-quality options, with fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts once again touted as best for keeping hunger at bay and waistlines in check.

Dr Sarah Berry, the chief scientist at healthcare company Zoe – the firm behind the arm patches that promise to pick apart how your body responds to food – says cheese and crackers are a “great example”.

Cheese and crackers can be a healthy snack - in moderation.iStock.

1. A couple of crackers with cheese

“As long as you’re not eating just those crackers all day long, every day, and if you’re pairing it up with something like cheese, then you know that together it’s a reasonably healthy snack,” she says.

Clare Thornton-Wood, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, explains that the high concentration of calcium, vitamin A and B12 in cheese is what knocks it into the nutritious category.

She recommends having two crackers as a snack and using strong-flavoured varieties, such as mature cheddar, to deliver a punch of flavour without needing to overindulge, or soft cheeses like brie, which are lower in fat.

Topping with cucumber, tomatoes or grapes offers an extra flavour, as well as nutrients, while opting for crackers with grains or wholemeal ensures the snack contains plenty of fibre, Thornton-Wood notes.

Eggy soldiers are a classic, and healthy, snack or breakfast.Getty Images/iStockphoto

2. Eggy soldiers with whole wheat or seeded bread

Debate has raged over the correct way to achieve the perfect boiled egg, with the cooking time, presentation and accompaniments all contested. However, it is indisputable that the humble egg is an ideal snack, according to Dr Maria Traka, the deputy head of food and nutrition national bioscience research infrastructure at the Quadram Institute in Norwich.

“They are full of protein and are also a great source of lots of vitamins and minerals like the B vitamins, selenium and iodine,” she says. “Plate up with wholemeal or seeded bread for a balanced snack,” Dr Traka recommends.