I wanted to speak about snacking first and foremost because I struggle with this a lot. I'm going to confess something right now.... I love chips. I love them. I love chips. All kinds of chips. The ones that are just lightly salted, the ones that are flavored, the ones covered in cheese. Thick chips, crispy chips, thin chips. I love potato chips. Sun chips. Corn chips. Veggie chips. I like puffy chips like Cheetos. I freaking love chips. Oh dear God do I love chips. But alas, chips are probably one of the WORST things you could eat. And most people eat them as a snack. But this is why they are not good snackable foods for ME. I can't just eat....a handful of chips. Which is a snack. No. I have to eat like the entire family sized bag of chips and then..even THEN if given another bag I could crack that one open as well. If left up to my own devices, I could eat three potatoes worth of chips. So really...chips are not a feasible snack for me because they become a full course meal instead of a light snack in my hands. Plus you know...generally chips are bad for you. Greasy, full of calories and salt. Potatoes are really supposed to be consumed in moderation. They're good to have in your diet, but alone they are a sugar. So imagine what deep frying them and drenching them in salt does for you. Exactly.
But I have to be honest. Snacking is difficult. Because it's a necessity to a healthy diet. Eating small snacks in between meals helps keep down overeating at big meal time and keeps your energy up throughout the day. Some people have to snack due to their blood sugar levels. But it seems that something has gone horribly awry in the snacking business. The other day I was watching television and I saw a commercial for the McDonald's "Snack Wrap". Oh yes. A piece of deep fried fused chicken parts with fatty sauce rolled into a carb is the EXACT way to go for a snack. Ladies and gentlemen that IS NOT a snack. If you take a stroll down the WalMart "snack aisle" it is heavily laden with an assortment of (my personal kryptonite) chips, candies, high fructose corn syrup products, crackers and sugar and chocolate covered goodies. When did any of THOSE things become an appropriate snack? When did any of this become the definition of snacks? I mean...I'm not saying that they aren't good. And I'm sure if you ate these things in moderation every once in awhile you're not going to die. But I like to classify these things as "treats". We need to learn to separate "treats" and "snacks".
So let's redefine a snack. A snack should be wholesome, temporarily filling (you don't want it to be like a meal), and gives your body energy. None of the pre-described items really do any of that. In fact they do the opposite. They are not wholesome, full of sugar and calories. They actually will often make you hungrier and crave sugar. And they tend to make you sluggish. So no energy there! So I definitely think that it's a worthwhile endeavor to talk about healthy snacking. So the very first snack lesson I am going to teach you is something that I thought I would NEVER eat.
Yogurt really isn't one of my favorite things in the world. It's kind of like granola. I really had to learn to make friends with it. Granola and I are way better friends than yogurt and I, but we get along. I know a lot of people think that granola and yogurt is a super healthy combo and IT IS. That isn't what I'm saying. But for me personally, I just can't warm up to the two together. So just this semester in my writing course, I was reading a magazine article that one of the girls had brought to class. The article was from a dietitian who was "sprucing up" people's diets. One woman proudly said that she had eaten a healthy parfait for breakfast and the dietitian told her that adding almonds instead of granola to your yogurt was a bit more healthy. Now. I LOVE almonds. I would say that almond is my second favorite flavor. It's one of my "flavorites" tehe! But I never really ate them raw. I have to say, that dietitian knew what she was talking about. The almonds with the yogurt are FABULOUS. They go with any flavor yogurt, even the fruit flavors and they add a very delicious texture and crunch.
Now if you don't prefer to eat yogurt, you can eat some almonds by themselves. You can add them to some dried fruits to make a trail mix as well. I will discuss dried fruits in length at another time. But this snack is full of protein and will keep you moving throughout the day. I like to buy the Yoplait cups (even though I'm kind of on the fence about them, again, that's for another entry) because they are a perfect serving of yogurt. I usually pour it into a small bowl and toss some almonds on the top. I don't like eating out of that weird shaped container. In fact, I just had some almonds with Yoplait's new Black Forest Cake flavor tonight. It was an excellent dessert before bed.
The one con to almonds is that they are very expensive. I was APPALLED to find out that a relatively small bag of almonds (the one picture above actually) was SEVEN DOLLARS. Why? I don't know the answer to that. I'm sure there is one, and if anyone knows, can they please inform me why almonds are mucho expensive? Usually in that situation I will attempt to buy the WalMart brand "Great Value". But even Great Value's almonds were through the roof! I was shocked. But I had to have these almonds. I made the sacrifice of seven dollars to get these almonds and so far they've lasted me pretty long. I try to use them sparingly until the price drops. But some people have a larger budget than me and can afford $7 for a bag of almonds. And I personally think they are a great investment. Hey...at least they were cheaper than the pistachios (TEN DOLLARS for ONE bag) Also, keep in mind that you want the PLAIN almonds. Not the "smokehouse" flavor or the ones covered in honey and sugar. That's just added calories. And I don't think that "smokehouse" almonds would go with yogurt....just saying.
I highly encourage any of you that are looking for a healthy snack to try this out. Please stay tuned until next week starting off with Vegetarian Monday.
Live Long and Prosper,
The Hungry Hungry Health Nut
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