We all love to snack, but it’s important to be aware of when snack time starts turning into a mini-meal time. Snacking should be thought of as the bridge between meals, helping keep your energy and productivity at its peak, without filling you up. After a snack you want to feel light, replenished, and ready to take on the rest of your day – not stuffed and sluggish. So before you start digging in, ask yourself if you’re actually hungry, or just bored or dehydrated. This little mindful check will help make sure you’re not consuming empty calories for no reason.
If you are actually hungry, then here’s a list of my go-to paleo/primal approved snacks:
Fresh Fruit:
Always option number one… you can’t go wrong with fruit! Fruit is refreshing, full of fiber, super portable, and delicious! Try to find fruit that is fresh in season too. That stuff will taste even better and be full of rich nutrients. My favorite fruit snack is either Blueberries or Strawberries dipped in some Cashew butter or Nutzo!
Fresh Veggies:
Again, you can’t go wrong with veggie snacks. You can make a quick salad, or just have chopped up celery or carrots ready that’s ready to eat. These can be paired with cashew or almond butter too! If you cut up your veggies at the start of the week, you’ll have them ready to just grab and go whenever you need them!
Nuts:
I never used to be a fan of peanuts, or almonds, or cashews, and the like, but now I can’t get enough of them! They are so delicious, so good for you, but be careful because they are so easy to overeat! I try to make myself a little snack bag with ¼ cup of cashews, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, and 7 almonds to have with me every single day. When buying nuts, make sure you are getting organic, raw, and sprouted if possible. Nuts are one of the highest sprayed crops and you don’t want to be consuming any extra chemicals (bleh!).
Pro tip: Make a big batch of trail mix at the start of each week and put it in baggies to grab and go (just like the veggies!). In my trail mix, I include cashews, almonds, dates, dairy and sugar free chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and macadamia nuts.
Bars:
Although they’re not whole foods, protein and fruit bars are a good option as long as they have clean ingredients and are minimally processed. Lara bars, BulletProof, and Garden of Life have really clean, delicious bars that I absolutely love!
Chips/Crackers:
I try to restrict the amount of chips/crackers I eat every day because they can be soo addicting, but that doesn’t mean I stick away from them completely. These definitely shouldn’t be the snack you reach for first, but they are good to have every once in a while and for traveling on-the-go. Simple Mills, Jackson Honest, and Sieteall have really good paleo approved snacks with only a few, real, delicious ingredients.
Granola:
I love the grain-free granola from Purely Elizabeth and Thrive Market! I can eat that stuff plain or put it in a small bowl and add cashew/almond milk for a little makeshift cereal. I might even throw in a chopped up banana or blueberries to get some more deliciousness!
Sweet Potato Fries:
Sweet potato fries have become a new favorite of mine… I’ve always got this craving for them! They are super easy to make at home – just cut up a sweet potato, drizzle on some coconut oil, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and maybe some paprika, then put them in the oven at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Super easy, super delicious! You can also put different spices on the fries depending on the flavor you are going for!
