Healthy snacks don’t have to equal stuff that tastes like wallpaper paste. (Why do we use that saying? Have you ever tasted wallpaper paste? I’m pretty sure I haven’t.) I adore food. I’m never gonna eat a dried up rice cake (ugh, no one should eat those anyhow; they aren’t even doing your health a favor). I eat food I love, and, for the most part, (because indulgence is a part of living well) food that will love my health right back.
On top of healthy, I like simple. Things I can make in minutes. Oh, sure, I could grab (and sometimes do) a hand full of nuts, and that would work. But it’s nice at times to have something with more complex flavor. Something that gives you a variety of flavors to satisfy your taste buds. One that I’ve done is a mix of three simple ingredients: walnuts, bits of dark chocolate and dried cherries. A small amount keeps me going nicely until the next meal. And it tastes amazing! I always love that blend of dark chocolate and a red fruit. The walnuts help fill me up, even out the sugar coming from the chocolate and fruit, and have a long list of health benefits. (Like being chock full of omega 3 fatty acids, a good kind we usually don’t get enough of, along with fiber, protein, magnesium, antioxidants and B vitamins.)
Time to make? Maybe a minute. I only need enough time to dump my ingredients into a big bowl I can store it in, ready for a quick snack. A bit more time if I have a bigger piece of dark chocolate I want to cut down to bits or when I use cherries, which I cut down into smaller pieces. At times I use dried cranberries, and those can simply add in as is.
Don’t like walnuts? Try almonds – also really good for you. Another dried fruit perhaps? The dark chocolate is also good for your health, but if you don’t love it, leave it out or find some other healthy item that would make a nice blend for you. Just make sure you’re not focusing on all sugary items, even if they are healthier.) And use quality ingredients – raw nuts, dark chocolate, dried fruit that’s pure, not loaded with preservatives. My favorite source for all of these remains Trader Joe’s, though you can find them at health food stores, Whole Foods and, increasingly, your regular supermarket.
Only caution is to keep this for a small snack. If you eat a big bowl, that’s going to be too many calories and too much fat — even though it is good fat — and that will be more harmful than helpful. The beauty of this is that you can package it up to grab at home, at the office or in your car so you’re not going half a day between meals. Because, when you allow yourself to get that famished, your body doesn’t work as well and you lose the willpower to make good choices when all you can think about is EATING.
See? Eating healthy can be easy … and tasty, not torture. Sub out that candy bar for this. Remember: Little changes like this are still meaningful steps in the right direction.
