Does your stomach growl several times throughout the day? Well, that’s because you’re a grazer. Humans are grazers, meaning that you were built to eat small amounts of food throughout the day. Not three gigantic meals.
Energy Bar Consultation
What is that magic stuff they put in those energy bars? Actually, there aren’t any magic ingredients. The main benefit of energy bars is their convenienc. You don’t have to make a well rounded snack. The main problem I have with them is that they are extremely expensive. You are paying approximately 30-50 cents more per 100 calories for an energy bar compared to a snack you put together yourself. If you decide to use energy bars as snacks, just make sure you drink a lot of water with them.
What’s The Difference?
If you’ve ever wondered what the differences are between the average good-for-you snacks and the bad-for-you snacks, see the following:
- Candy Bar: 230 cal, 13 g fat VS Energy Bar: 230 cal, 2 g fat
- Corn chips: 160 cal, 10 g fat VS Pretzels: 110 cal, 1 g fat
- Orange Soda (16 oz): 260 cal; 0% Vitamin C VS 100% Pure Orange Juice (16 oz) 220 cal, 200% Vitamin C (daily value)
- Ice Cream (1 cup): 540 cal, 36 g fat VS Yogurt (1 cup, flavored): 210 cal, 2 g fat
Best Bang For Your Buck
If you are looking to pack as many nutrients into what you eat, check out the following fruits ordered, from top to bottom by how nutrient dense they are. You’ll never guess what #1 is…
- Watermelon
- Grapefruit
- Papaya
- Cantaloupe
- Orange
- Strawberries
- Kiwi
- Raspberries
- Tangerine
- Mango
Need Good Snack Ideas?
It’s always good to include three food groups into each snack. Here are some examples:
- Whole-grain bagel with peanut butter and a (decaf) latte
- Trail mix with granola, nuts, and dried fruit
- Grape-Nuts with yogurt and berries
- Smoothies: milk, yogurt, or juice; fresh frozen fruited; and wheat germ or flax meal
My fav. snack is mixed-nuts. I make my own from macadamias, cashews, walnuts and almonds. I buy bulk and look for nuts seasoned with sea salt.
For a little taste of sweet to go along with the salty, I add in dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins or shredded coconut and sometimes I add chocolate chips or yogurt covered raisins!
The combination of crunchy, chewy, sweet & salty really curbs my snack cravings. A few handfuls a day gives me a little boost of energy too!
Other things I’ve added to the mix in the past: crunchy granola, crushed toffee bits, dried edamame (soy beans), pine nuts, sunflower seeds (shelled obviously!) and cereal (Kashi granola or crunch clusters, Trader Joe’s soy and flax clusters, chexmix, cheerios, etc…).