Unhealthiest Junk In The Junk Food Aisle (Slideshow)

When it comes to potato chips, it stands to reason that the thicker chips, such as Ruffles, are usually the ones with the most fat and calories. And like all other junk foods, the ones covered in "cheese" are usually the worst offenders (unless, oddly enough, it's covered in dill pickle flavoring).
 
Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream (Serving size: 1 ounce, about 11 chips or 28 grams)
Fat: 10 grams
Calories: 160
Sodium: 180 milligrams

Pringles Xtra Screamin' Dill Pickle (Serving size: 1 ounce, about 16 chips or 28 grams)
Fat: 9 grams
Calories: 150
Sodium: 105 milligrams
Sugars: 1 gram

Tortilla chips may somehow seem like a better choice than potato chips. They're less greasy, perhaps, on first appearance. The baked versions are always a better option than the fried ones, but they all still have high concentrations of sodium and calories. And note the serving sizes. Will you really stop eating after, say, six chips? 
 
Tostitos Hint of Lime (Serving size: 1 ounce, about 6 chips)
Fat: 7 grams
Calories: 150
Sodium: 125 milligrams
 
Dorito's Toasted Corn (Serving size: 1 ounce, about 13 chips or 28 grams)
Fat: 7 grams
Calories: 140
Sodium: 120 grams

Over-the-top sodium levels are especially common in snack mixes.  The American Heart Association says that you should consume less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, so you can see that even these modest serving sizes pack a big (salty) wallop.
 
Chex Mix Bold Party Blend (Serving size: 1 cup)
Total fat: 9 grams
Calories: 240
Sodium: 400 milligrams

Cheez-It Snack Mix Double Cheese (Serving size: 3/4 cup or 30 grams)
Total Fat: 5 grams
Calories: 130
Sodium: 470 milligrams

Tasty? Sure. But too high in fat? Absolutely. Highly processed corn is a nutritional wasteland, and the added sodium, not to mention the mysterious neon-bright "cheese" powder, in these snacks make limiting them a very good idea.
 
Fritos Original (Serving size: 32 chips or 28 grams)
Fat: 10 grams
Calories: 160
Sodium: 170 milligrams
 
Cheetos Flamin' Hot Crunchy (Serving size: 1 ounce, about 21 pieces or 28 grams)
Fat: 11 grams
Calories: 160
Sodium: 250 milligrams

The word "fruit" is used very loosely by contenders in this category. (And if it's gushing, it's not with fruit.) Not only are these gelatin-based snacks full of empty calories, but the sugar content shoots through the roof, and of course gummy candy has a special propensity for sticking to your teeth, giving the sugar that much more clout.
 
Fruit Gushers Variety Pack (Serving size: 1 pouch, or 25 grams)
Fat: 1 gram
Calories: 90
Sodium: 45 milligrams
Sugars: 12 grams
 
Starburst GummiBursts (Serving size: 9 pieces, or 40 grams)
Fat: 0 grams
Calories: 130
Sodium: 40 milligrams
Sugars: 22 grams

For something that comes in such a tiny package, hard candy sure packs in a load of sugar — and not much else. Except maybe sodium. While it's true that hard candy usually has little to no fat, it seems a shame to waste any caloric intake on something with no nutritional value whatsoever.
 
Jolly Ranchers Hard Candy Cherry Stix (Serving size: 1 piece)
Fat: 0 grams
Calories: 70
Sugars: 12 grams
Sodium: 25 milligrams
 
Werther's Original Hard Candy (Serving size: 3 pieces or about 16 grams)
Fat: 1.5 gram
Calories: 60
Sugars: 10 grams
Sodium: 45 milligrams

Brach's Butterscotch Hard Candy (Serving size: 3 pieces)
Fat: 0 grams
Calories: 70
Sugars: 10 grams
Sodium: 95 milligrams 

It's no secret that store-bought cookies just aren't going to have the same quality as homemade ones. Our picks made the list because they're very high in calories and trans fats (the latter are used in part to prolong shelf life). The Oreo, advertised on its website as "filled with wonder," is also filled with a ton of unhealthy sodium and sugar.
 
Keebler's Chips Deluxe (Serving size: 2 cookies or 30 grams)
Fat: 8 grams
Calories: 160
Sodium: 105 milligrams
Sugars: 9 grams
 
Oreos (Serving size: 3 cookies or 34 grams)
Fat: 7 grams
Calories: 160
Sodium: 140 milligrams
Sugars: 14 grams

Given all the hoopla surrounding the loss, then heralded resurrection, of Twinkies, we had to include them here. That, and yes, they're a really junky snack. These highly sugared, low-to-no fiber "goodies" leave you feeling hollow shortly after eating them.
 
Twinkies (Serving size: 2 cakes)
Fat: 4.5g
Calories: 150
Sodium: 220 milligrams
Sugars: 18 grams
 
Little Debbie Swiss Rolls (Serving size: 2 cakes)
Fat: 12 grams
Calories: 270
Sodium: 140 milligrams
Sugars: 26 grams
Fiber: 1 gram

These snacks are hardly like grandma used to make. Unless she loaded her baked treats with a perfect storm of saturated fat, sodium, and copious amounts of sugar. While the Little Debbie donuts here are in the nutritional dregs, the Drake's fruit pie stats take the cake.
 
Drake's Fruit Pies — Apple with Real Apple Filling (Serving size: 113 grams)
Total fat: 16 grams
Calories: 440
Sodium: 240 milligrams
Sugars: 26 grams
 
Little Debbie Mini Powdered Donuts (Serving size: 4 donuts or 50  grams)
Fat: 11 grams
Calories: 220
Sodium: 190 milligrams
Sugars: 14 grams

Most chocolate bars contain more than 20 grams of sugar each, or more than 80 calories from added sugars, so it's not necessarily easy to pick a "worst" one. But some actually do have much more sugar than others, as well as saturated and trans fats.
 
Twix (Serving size: 2 cookies)
Fat: 12 grams
Calories: 250
Sodium: 100 milligrams
Sugars: 24 grams

 
5th Avenue (Serving size: 1 bar)
Fat: 12 grams
Calories: 260
Sodium: 120 milligrams
Sugars: 29 grams