Is Pocky Healthy? (3 Tips For Weight Loss)

The iconic Japanese chocolate-dipped cookie snack has been around for over fifty years and continues to steadily remain a popular product in several Asian supermarkets.

Pocky, which originated in Japan, has become a popular snack in the States and several other Asian countries which is a children’s favorite and a great treat for adults as well.

Pocky is a delicious snack, but is it healthy? 

Pocky is a high carbohydrate snack that is packed with sugar which makes it not the ideal food to eat when you are on a  healthy diet. However, Pocky can easily be incorporated into your daily food intake when it is consumed in moderation.

In this article, we will be discussing three tips that will help you satisfy your Pocky craving while still sticking to your goal of weight loss:

1. Understand the Nutrition Behind Pocky 

2. Know Which Pocky Flavors to Avoid 

3. How to Eat Pocky While Still Losing Weight

Tip 1: Understand the Nutrition Behind Pocky

The Original Pocky flavor is the milk chocolate dipped biscuit that comes in a red box that has around a total of twenty Pocky sticks.

Understanding the nutritional information behind any food is a key skill to have when you are trying to lose weight.

Knowing the importance of calories is your biggest tool for your weight loss journey.  

One box of Chocolate Pocky has 200 calories with 8 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein.

This is a calorically dense snack that is heavy in sugar and carbohydrates so it is important to eat these in moderation. 

200 calories is not a big dent in your daily calorie intake, so it is not too bad to eat these as an occasional snack.

However, for 200 calories, Pocky has a very low satiety index and should not be used as a food to keep you full.

Quite often, snacks that are high in fat or sugar will leave you even more hungry than before so definitely be aware of this factor.

Eating a bunch of high calorie and sugary treats may be difficult for you to maintain a calorie deficit because these types of snacks can easily lead to overeating.

This is why Pocky is not something to eat on a daily basis but is totally fine for the occasional treat.

As long as you watch the other foods that you are eating throughout the day, you can enjoy your Poky treat while still maintaining a calorie deficit.

Try incorporating higher protein and lower carbohydrate dishes for your other meals such as a chicken salad or a fish dish. 

Tip 2: Know Which Pocky Flavors to Avoid

Pocky has come up with several different flavors throughout the years with super unique flavors that range from tiramisu to almond nut crunch.

In this section, we will cover the most popular Pocky flavors and their nutritional information to help you understand which flavors to eat or avoid. 

Strawberry Pocky

Strawberry Pocky is one of the most popular flavors following the Chocolate Pocky and is essentially has a strawberry-flavored white chocolate coating.

One box of Strawberry Pocky has 200 calories with 8 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein.

Similar to the Original Chocolate Pocky flavor, Strawberry has the same amount of calories in each box making it still a very sugary and high carbohydrate treat. 

If you are craving Cookies and Cream Pocky, this flavor also has the same calorie and macronutrient count as the Strawberry Pocky.

As long as you keep in mind the other foods you are eating throughout the day, these Pocky flavors should not be detrimental to your diet.

Matcha Pocky

A recently emerging flavor is the Matcha flavor which has gathered lots of popularity in several different Asian foods such as tea, cookies, mochi, and cakes.

Of course, Pocky had to hop onto the trend and create delicious matcha dipped biscuit that is now sold in multiple locations. 

One box of Matcha Pocky has 190 calories with 7 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.

Matcha Pocky is only slightly lower in calories compared to the Chocolate Pocky and is even higher in carbohydrates.

Similar to the other pocky flavors, eat these in moderation because they are still high in calories. 

Chocolate Banana Pocky

Chocolate Banana Pocky is a new flavor that you probably have seen but never tried before but can also now be bought in supermarkets and online. 

One box of Chocolate Banana Pocky has 340 calories with 13 grams of fat, 50 grams of carbohydrates, and 5 grams of protein.

This is probably the worst pocky flavor to eat when you are on a diet because it is significantly higher in calories compared to the other ones available.

Chocolate Banana Pocky may be a delicious dessert to satisfy a sweet tooth craving, you are probably better off eating the other flavors for a much lower calorie count.

These highly sugary foods usually are small in portion size and often leave you still hungry and maybe craving even more sugary foods after you have finished.

This is why it is important to limit the number of snacks you eat when you are on a diet to avoid overeating on calorically dense foods that will eventually lead to weight gain. 

Tip 3: How to Eat Pocky While Still Losing Weight

As we previously observed, Pocky is a very high-calorie snack that may be difficult to incorporate into your diet, but it does not have to be this way!

You can easily satisfy your Pocky craving with either of these three simple ways. 

Share With a Friend

This super easy and convenient option of sharing a snack with a friend can significantly reduce the amount of Pocky sticks you eat.

By sharing with a friend, you are essentially eating a lot less Pocky and reducing the amount of calories you eat throughout the day. 

Buy the Smaller Pack

The smaller pack of Pocky only comes with 9 sticks which is a lot less than the big box of over 20 Pocky sticks.

One pack of Original Chocolate Pocky has only 70 calories which makes it a much better fit into your diet.

This way, you can satisfy your craving while still sticking to your daily calorie goals! 

Purchase the My Calorie Pocky 

In 2008, Pocky came out with a new type of Pocky called My Calorie Pocky that was made to tailor to a community that has become more health-conscious.

This new Pocky has reduced sugar and different ingredients that cut it to only a fourth of the calories of regular Pocky.

Although it is hard to come across if you see My Calorie Pocky this is a great alternative that can satisfy your sweet tooth. 

These couple of super quick fixes makes a big difference in the long run and can be the make it or break it to whether or not you see results while you are on a diet.

Dieting does not need to be a painful process where you are limited to just eating chicken and broccoli!

By incorporating your favorite fun foods, you can make your diet process both enjoyable and sustainable.

Remember that there is no point in pursuing a super strict diet that will only give you short term results.

Instead, make healthy eating a lifestyle and occasionally throw in some snacks will give you your dream physique while having your favorite foods.

CONCLUSION 

Remember, although nutrition is a huge factor that influences weight loss, it is important to pair this journey with exercise as well.

Especially strength training.

Several years of research on the benefits of weight training have shown that individuals that do some sort of consistent resistance training at least 3-5 times a week have shown not only a great amount of weight loss but are also able to keep the weight off! 

The secret to this phenomena is that strength training leads to a build-up of muscle.

Not only does your body recomposition into a more fitting and athletic-looking aesthetic, but having more muscle also increases your resting metabolic rate which essentially means you burn more calories at rest! 

Now that we know the importance of muscle we need to make sure we stay on track with our workouts.

Consistency and longevity are the two key factors when building muscle so there will be some commitment involved.

We understand that not everyone has access to a gym membership or feels comfortable starting off in such an intimidating environment.

Although I would strongly recommend that everyone should get a gym membership, don’t worry we got your back!

You can either go to the gym or build one for yourself.

It really just comes down to 3 pieces of equipment that you need to do most workouts.

These three are the workout bench, dumbbells, and gym flooring.

Check out our recommended gear page to see our best picks for these pieces of equipment here. 

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment

If a home gym is not for you then getting a membership somewhere works too.

As long as you are starting your muscle-building journey, we’re happy! 

Stick with it for the long run and you’ll see how amazing the results can be. 

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