‘I’m a Gastroenterologist—This Is the One Snack I Wish Everyone Would Avoid’

For most people, wanting a snack at least once during the day is inevitable. Even if you eat a hearty breakfast and lunch, it’s bound to happen. Sometimes we crave snacks because we’re truly hungry. Other times, we might be bored, stressed or just want something to munch on.

It’s certainly not unhealthy to have a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, even if it’s something you do every day. In fact, an article published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition says that having one to two snacks a day can be even more nutritious than having three meals a day and no snacks. This is because having a snack or two throughout the day can prevent overeating at meals, which puts less stress on the digestive and metabolic systems.

Of course, it all comes down to what you decide to snack on. We asked three gastroenterologists for their recommendations on what snacks to eat—and which snacks to avoid—when it comes to snacking for gut health. Keep reading to find out what they said.

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The One Snack a Gastroenterologist Wishes Everyone Would Avoid

“As a gastroenterologist, the one snack I’d love people to step away from is ultra-processed chips, [specifically] fried chips that come in crinkly bags with a long ingredients list that includes refined starches, industrial oils, artificial flavors, ‘cheese powders’ and preservatives,” says Dr. Jason Korenblit, MD, a gastroenterologist and digestive expert with Just Answer.

Dr. Korenblit explains that chips are a textbook example of an ultra-processed food, which he says can negatively impact gut health. “Diets high in ultra-processed foods are consistently linked with worse gut health, inflammatory bowel disease, IBS and colorectal cancer as well as obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” he says.

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He explains that if someone eats chips once in a while, it’s not that big a deal. But if someone eats chips every day, it’s going to negatively impact the gut in a few ways.

“Your gut bacteria live on fiber and resistant starch, the parts of plant foods we don’t fully digest. When you mostly snack on chips, which are nearly fiber-free, you’re feeding you but not them. High-fiber diets, in contrast, support diverse, resilient microbiota and production of short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which reduce inflammation and strengthen the gut barrier,” Dr. Korenblit says, adding that snacking on nutrient-void chips over time can lead to less beneficial gut bacteria and increase inflammation (caused by the high-frying temperatures, which create inflammation-causing compounds).

“Emerging data suggests that some emulsifiers and additives can disrupt the mucus layer that protects the intestinal wall and alter the microbiome in ways that promote inflammation and increased gut permeability,” he continues, adding that this is associated with IBS. “That doesn’t mean one serving of chips ‘destroys your gut,’ but regular exposure may nudge the system toward low-grade inflammation over years,” he says.

Another Common ‘Treat’ To Avoid for Gut Health

Pairing your chips with soda can negatively impact the gut even more. “I wish we could eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages,” says Dr. Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH, an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, director of the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and author of the upcoming book, You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong, saying that they have been identified as a risk factor for early-onset colorectal cancer.

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Gut-Healthy Snacks To Eat Instead

If you want to support your gut, it’s clear that having a daily snack of chips and soda is out. What should you snack on instead? Dr. Paul Feuerstadt, MD, FACG, AGAF, a gastroenterologist, member of the board of directors at the Peggy Lillis Foundation and an associate clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine, recommends choosing unprocessed foods that are high in fiber.

For example, some snacks that Dr. Feuerstadt recommends are nuts, berries and legume-based snacks, like hummus or crunchy chickpeas. He explains that these snacks support gut health in their own unique ways, including by upping the amount of diverse and beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Related: The Game-Changing Gut Health Tip We Wish We’d Known About Earlier

“Personally, I keep a jar of almonds in my office. Nuts are high in protein and fiber, so they keep you satisfied and nourished,” Dr. Pasricha says.

Dr. Feuerstadt and Dr. Korenblit agree that yogurt is a great gut-healthy snack too, due to its high probiotic content.

“Yogurt with live and active cultures provides beneficial bacteria, aka probiotics, that can help support a healthy microbiome and may reduce inflammation and dysbiosis [imbalance]. Regular yogurt intake has been associated with favorable shifts in gut microbes and lower risk of certain colorectal cancers,” Dr. Korenblit says, explaining that pairing your yogurt with nuts and berries provides additional gut-supporting benefits. He adds that it also makes the yogurt more satiating, due to the unsaturated fats, fiber and protein.

Supporting your gut health through your snack choice doesn’t mean eating “perfectly” or never enjoying chips, soda, or other ultra-processed foods and drinks.

“Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for building a healthier eating pattern. Your health is going to see greater gains if you make changes that you actually enjoy and can stick with for years, rather than changes you hate and quit after two intense and horrible weeks,” Dr. Pasicha says.

To make healthy snacking easier, stock your kitchen with nutrient-rich, grab-and-go options the experts shared earlier, like yogurt, berries, nuts, crunchy chickpeas or hummus and veggies. Not only will you be supporting your gut, but you’ll feel more satiated than you would after eating a handful of chips.

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Sources:

• Dr. Jason Korenblit, MD, gastroenterologist and digestive expert with Just Answer

• Dr. Paul Feuerstadt, MD, FACG, AGAF, gastroenterologist who is a member of the board of directors at the Peggy Lillis Foundation and an associate clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine

• Marangoni, F., Martini, D., Scaglioni, S., et al. (2019). Snacking in nutrition and health.International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 70(8): 909-923

• Rondinella, D., Raoul, P.C., Valeriani, E., et al. (2025). The Detrimental Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods on the Human Gut Microbiome and Gut Barrier. Nutrients. 17(5):859

• Juul, F., Vaidean, G., and Parekh, N. (2021). Ultra-processed Foods and Cardiovascular Diseases: Potential Mechanisms of Action. Advances in Nutrition. 12(5):1673-1680

• Zhang, X., Albanes, D., Beeson, W.L., et al. (2010). Risk of Colon Cancer and Coffee, Tea, and Sugar-Sweetened Soft Drink Intake: Pooled Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 102(11):771-783

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.