3 fun study snack ideas to hold you over ‘til the holidays

Often when I’m studying, I get caught up in my head daydreaming, repeatedly going over all that I have to do or zoning out completely with absolutely no idea what I was doing in the first place. Hours can pass this way, but there is a simple solution: study snacks.

I’m not the only one who gets distracted oh-too easily, finding myself on Pinterest for who knows how long browsing for shoes or gazing fascinatedly at a structure made out of pipes that plays different chords when the wind goes through it. This all goes to show how important study snacks can be in keeping students focused and engaged with the material.

One popular study snack is candy, from Nibs to gummy bears, to my new personal favourite, Jolly Rancher Misfit MER-Bears. Candy can be used to set goals where students have to get to a certain point in their studying before they give themselves a treat. This can be an effective (and fun) way to study, but I personally can only eat a little before feeling worse not better, so I went out to find healthier snack options that are still fun, and just as satisfying. Here are a few favourites.

Peanut butter and chocolate chip apple sandwiches are a great study snack as they are tasty and easily accomplished. Photo by Hailey Payne

Apples, peanut butter and chocolate chips

This is a personal favourite of mine. It is a simple, easily accomplished snack that will give your body the needed energy to keep studying, and requires little foresight or initial planning. All that is needed is an apple, peanut butter and some chocolate chips to create a fun treat that thanks to the apple, still has some nutritional value. To prepare, cut the apple into rings, spread peanut butter and garnish with chocolate chips. Rings can be sandwiched together for a slightly fancier snack option. For some, cutting the apple into rings might be too much, and the funky design might not provide the fun factor necessary for the extra work. These people can modify the recipe by simply cutting the apple normally and topping as preferred.

Homemade granola bars

This snack requires some planning ahead of time, but is definitely worth it. The best thing about homemade granola bars is that they are easily customizable. Many granola bars are prepared with staple ingredients like butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and rolled oats. Besides these, you really can put whatever you want in them. My personal favorite additions are peanut butter, coconut, chocolate chips, dried cranberries and nuts. Not only are these nutritious, they are significantly more exciting than store-bought granola bars.

Ding Dong

For those who crave salty over sweet, this snack is for you. Ding Dong is a Filipino snack brand that I hadn’t heard about until recently. Their snacks can be easily replicated at home using the basic ingredients of nuts, dried peas and dried corn, though many store-bought options include corn nuts as well.

Similar to the case of homemade granola bars, the beauty of making this snack yourself is that you can personalize it to include anything you want. Ding Dong is a unique, relatively healthy and simple yet satisfying snack.