The real Diamond Dust is chip crumbs
While you’re fighting Sephiroth or nailing an enemy with a rocket launcher in a new first-person shooter, you’ll need some of the best gaming snacks out there to keep you going. Whether its chips or some delicious fruit, you have to look after yourself with some nourishment.
While we can’t get Salty-Sweet Ice Cream from Kingdom Hearts 2‘s Twilight Town or Final Fantasy XV’s Gysahl Greens Smoothie, there’s plenty we can eat while we game. Here are ten classic snacks that any gamer will enjoy.
Cadbury’s chocolate
As a British immigrant in Canada, I will profess to the world that Cadbury’s is the best. Their chocolate (especially if it’s imported from the U.K.) is super creamy and focuses more on the cocoa flavor and milk content than the sugar component. While I’m divulging into a big open-world RPG like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I’d consume a bag of milk chocolate buttons or Canada’s Mr. Big. It’s a vanilla wafer smothered in caramel, peanuts, rice crisps, and of course, chocolate. I love the crispiness of it.
Creme eggs are also a highlight during the Easter season with their sweet nectar of sugary goodness inside.
Fruit salad
Sorry to be your mother right now, but if you want to stay energized during a fight in Street Fighter 6, fruit is the way to go. You can get the delicious, refreshing and sweet flavors of apple, pineapple, strawberry, peach, and banana in between rounds of hadokens and shoryukens. Heck, you can even make a lovely fruit salad with perhaps some creamy yogurt on the side. It’s cheap and good for you.
Don’t make me wag my finger and tell you off for not eating your five-a-day.
Lay’s chips / Walker’s Crisps
One of the greatest chip brands in the world is Lay’s (otherwise known as Walker’s in the U.K.). The Classic flavor provides a supremely salty taste in your tongue, and you can go through a bag of these quickly. If you’re from Canada, you can also try the Ketchup and All Dressed flavors. They’re tangy and will satisfy your salty and sweet desires in one go.
The crispiness of each potato chip is also immensely satisfying. They’re great to eat during a long cutscene in Final Fantasy XVI or while waiting for a Call of Duty match. Just make sure to clean your hands before a tough boss battle or intense FPS match.
Instant Ramen
If you need something to eat and you’re behind schedule, Ramen is a good way to go. There’s something about the chewiness of the noodles and the tasty broth that sings to me. You can eat it in minutes and feel nourished enough to keep going with your gaming session. You can also level up your ramen by placing chicken or veggies into the mix.
Cookies and milk
This may not be the most nutritious snack but by golly, it’s one of the tastiest. You have the chewy, succulent chocolate chip cookie mixed with the creaminess of the milk. Dunking a cookie like an Oreo into milk is the perfect combo, as it gets slightly wetter and gives an even better mouth feel.
Whether it’s an Oatmeal & Raisin cookie or a Fudgee-O, a cookie is a great hug after a loss in Call of Duty or a horrific scene in The Last of Us. Just be careful not to eat the whole bag.
Ants on a log
This isn’t what it sounds like! If you have gaming kids in the family who want a nice, yet healthy snack, ants on a log is a good way to go. Get a celery stick, layer on some peanut butter, and then place raisins on top of it. It’s a fantastic snack that blends the refreshing celery, savory peanut butter, and then the delicious raisins in one salty, sweet option. It’s much better than eating a Wiggler from the Super Mario games.
Fries with dip
If you want a step up from potato chips, fries with a signature dip is a way to go. Before you go on an adventure in Uncharted 4 or play Apex Legends with your buds, cook some fries. Then, take them out of the oven and mix some mayo, ketchup, and hot sauce (I recommend Chipotle). You now have an awesome dip to go with your crispy fries.
If you want to take it next level, get some tater tots and then cook some meat in a fajita tomato sauce. Sprinkle cheese on the top, and you have tater nachos! Jalapeno peppers are optional!
Popcorn
Popcorn is so versatile. You can just add salt and butter, or you can caramelize it to make caramel popcorn. Heck, some companies have Chicago Popcorn that mixes cheesy and caramel popcorn in the same bag. You wouldn’t think it would work but it does. It also has fewer carbs than potato chips on average.
When I was working in food retail, I was told by many customers nutritional yeast is a great healthy option as a cheese-like topping. They’re correct. If you’re playing a cinematic game like The Quarry or Detroit: Become Human, this may be a good option for you.
Almonds
Like popcorn, you can customize your almonds in many ways. They’re delicious plain, with salt, and in many different flavors. For example, I’m able to get wasabi and soy sauce almonds from Blue Diamond (not sponsored, I swear!) that are absolutely delicious.
According to Taste of Home, these nuts can help your digestion, eliminate cravings, and lower your cholesterol. They’re tasty and helpful in your diet. That’s a win-win! You can get a W in Fortnite and in life!
Pizza
We have to finish this list with the absolute best gaming snack known to humankind, pizza. After many games of Dungeons & Dragons with my mates, we used to order pizza. While their choice of donair pizza was strange (it grew on me), the crust is always wonderfully chewy and the cheese is delectable every time. There’s also a certain social nature to eating pizza as you share slices of it together. Like the last two entries on this list, it’s so customizable with tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, and so many toppings to put on it.
And yes, I’m a pineapple and ham kinda guy. Sorry, not sorry!
