By: Derek Beres
As someone who predominantly works from home, I am a constant snacker. On average, I eat one meal a day, with snacks and little dishes sprinkled between. In my previous incarnation, when my day-to-day revolved around running from subway to subway to teach yoga classes in New York City, I followed a similar eating strategy, only then most of what I ate came out of my backpack rather than my refrigerator. In both situations, what I was snacking on remained of utmost importance.
Snacking seems like it should be easy, given the amount of convenient bars and bags you can find in supermarket and deli aisles. Yet this rarely means healthy -- unless, of course, you think grabbing an apple is easy. I?m a fan of Michael Pollan?s assessment that the more ingredients there are in your food, the worse it probably is for you. (He found one type of bread with 37 ingredients!) Pollan, who is the author of Food Rules, also advises that if you can?t pronounce the ingredients, you should avoid putting the food in your mouth. With that in mind, here are four go-to snacks that I rely on in regular rotation throughout my days, and that keeps me feeling light yet satiated as the hours pass.
Smart Snack No. 1: LARABAR
This is the first bar I look for when I?m in a fix. My only other go-to is KIND Bars, though they have excess sugars; I skip all the others (Clif Bar, PowerBar, etc.). LARABARs have between three and six whole food ingredients, all proudly displayed right on the front of each package. Sure, some flavors include choclate chips. You don?t have to buy those. For the most part, I stick with Blueberry Muffin (dates, cashews, bluberries, blueberry juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate and vanilla extract), Ginger Snap (dates, almonds, pecans, cashews, cinammon, cloves) and Peanut Butter and Jelly (dates, peanuts, unsweetened cherries, sea salt). The company?s new Uber bars add brown rice syrup and honey, but stick with the originals -- they?re the healthiest options.
Smart Snack No. 2: Dried Mango
In moderation, of course. Dried fruits contain as much, if not more, sugars than regular fruits. For that reason, I only buy dried mango with no added sweeteners. (The list of ingredients numbers exactly one.) All of mango?s calories come from carbohydrates, so it?s good for long-term energy as long as you recognize that 1/3 cup contains 160 calories. My favorite brand is Kopali Organics. The bag sizes are perfect, and the various dried fruits the company offers are delectable. Seek out their Superfood Mix as well, which is a blend of goji berries, mulberries, pistachios and cacao nibs.
Smart Snack No. 3: Celery and Almond Butter
One of the best snacks ever: plenty of sustainable punch from the almond butter and the rehydration beauty of celery. I buy stalks of celery from an organic farm and wash them before consuming. There are a variety of almond butters that I choose, but never one with added sugars, which is an absurdity to me. I will go with roasted almonds if I am craving a little more density in taste, and I am in no way antisalt, so on occasion I buy that variety. Always read the bottle first: Almond butter with cane sugar or honey will not help you overcome that sweet tooth and will bring on the crash that sugar junkies know all too well.
Smart Snack No. 4: Dates
About 1 pound a week. Dates are by far the snack I snack on most. I have a long love affair with dates and figs, but the former wins out every time. Loaded with natural sugar and carbohydrates, dates are great for the long haul -- but in moderation. My pound is spread out over seven days, so I?m mostly grabbing two at a time. Try to always find unpitted dates. The pitted variety is most often dried out. For a special treat, serve dates Moroccan-style: Cut out the pit, stuff a cashew in its place and drizzle a tiny bit of honey on top. You can also replace the honey with goat or feta cheese. Delicious.
Can?t picture breaking your sugar addiction and transitioning to healthy snacks? Get extra tips from Dr. Frank Lipman:
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What are your favorite healthy snacks? Comment below or connect with me @Completely_You
Source: http://www.completelyyou.com/blog/well_being/energy_snacks/index.html
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