Planters Trail Mix: Dangerous for Dieters

At first glance, Planters Trail Mix looks like a 'healthy' snack with its granola-like, sweet and savory mix of peanuts, raisins, pretzels. It's a snack that's suitable for those stressful days when a quick fix is needed, and the convenient pouches make it an easy pick for game night or parties where chips are the norm.

Planters Trail Mix is available in nine different varieties so you'll never get tired of the same raisin-nut medley. But while Planters Trail Mix offers plenty of flavor and unique ingredient combinations, they will rarely make the savvy dieter's plate; here's why:

Planters Trail Mix - Flavors and Varieties Available

The nine different varieties of Planters Trail Mix are:

-Berry, Nut and Chocolate

-Fruit & Nut

-Golden Nut Crunch

-Golden Nut (regular)

-Honey Nut Medley

-Mixed Nut and Raisin

-Nuts, Seeds, and Raisin

-Spicy Nut Cajun Stick

-Sweet & Nutty

Planters Trail Mix - The Healthy and Not So Healthy Side
Almost all Planters Trail Mix recipes contain raisins which are a valuable snack for any dieter. The Berry and Fruit mixes contain other dried fruits such as cranberries, cherries, and mangoes, and the savory mixes contain pretzels.

However, some mixes also contain chocolate nuggets, deep fried snack sticks, salted cashews, and fried banana chips that end up pushing the boundaries of this seemingly healthy snack.

Planters Trail Mix - Nutrition Facts
Each serving of Planters Trail Mix is 3 tablespoons - slightly less than a ¼ cup, and one very tiny handful. Most people will eat at least 2-3 servings in one sitting, but a closer look at the nutrition facts reveals why this is a diet killer.

The average nutrition count for Planters Trail Mix is a whopping 150 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving; multiply this by two or three, and you soon learn that fruit, nuts, and pretzels may not be such a healthy choice after all. While some varieties do contain a higher protein content than most snacks, it's still not enough to justify a the high calories and fat per serving.