Portion distortion: Crackers and dips - Healthy Food Guide (2024)

Wholegrain crackers and delicious hummus can make a great snack, provided we keep our portions in check.

While some crackers and dips may be healthy, others can be high in sodium and saturated fat. And, when chatting with friends or distracted by the TV, we can lose track of how much we’ve consumed.

‘Mindless eating’ easily leads to portion distortion. Getting distracted while snacking means your energy intake can quickly jump from a 690kJ snack to nearly 2000kJ – the same amount of energy as you might have for dinner. Being mindful while eating, or only putting a little on the plate, can help keep crackers and dips to the snack size.

Your choice of cracker and dip can make these numbers blow out even more. Creamy dips or oily pesto can be surprisingly high energy.

Check out the HFG guides to choosing dips and crackers.

Any product examples given here were correct at time of publication. However, remember to check the ingredients and nutrition information every so often, as these can change over time

Snack sized

6 wholegrain rice crackers with 3 tablespoons hummus 690kJ, 5g protein, 7g fat, 1g sat fat, 22g carbs, 260mg sodium

Distracted size

18 wholegrain rice crackers with 8 tablespoons hummus. 1930kJ, 13g protein, 18g fat, 2g sat fat, 62g carbs, 700mg sodium