We get asked all the time for ideas on healthy snacks or on-the-go meals for the busy individual. While you can always keep things like apples or nuts handy, these are some of my top favorite REAL fast food ideas or quick on-the-go option.
Let us first say that our initial choices for quick snacks at home would be an organic hummus with veggies sticks, thin slice of gluten-free toast, or cracker. A protein/fat rich hard-boiled egg, or a couple tablespoons of nuts. But sometimes you need those on-the-go snacks to stay on track with your healthy eating plan. Here are some of our favorites...
Protein Lover/Paleo/Keto: EPIC bars // www.epicbar.com
You can find these high-protein, low sugar soft jerky bars by buying online or at many different grocery stores. They have super basic ingredients with a variety of animal protein bases. Here is an example of ingredients in their Chicken Sriracha Bar (15g protein & 0 sugar) Ingredients: Natural Chicken, Sea Salt, Red Pepper Flakes, Lactic Acid, Organic Chia Seeds, Garlic, Paprika, Onion, Celery Powder, Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Cumin, Oregano.
Combine the high protein bar with some raw veggie sticks like red bell peppers & celery and BAM! Great for after a workout!
*Note: I would buy one or two and see if you like the flavor and consistency before buying a full pack.
Real Food Bars (nuts, seeds & fruit): Thunderbird // http://www.thunderbirdbar.com
Founded and made by endurance athletes. Not only does this company in Austin, Texas provide the best ingredients, they also keep their bars free from additives or added sugar. Most of their bars are sweetened with dates! My favorite flavor is the Almond+Apricot+Vanilla bar and these are the ingredients: Apricots, Almonds, Almond Butter, Quinoa, Vanilla, Himalayan Sea Salt.
Note: If you are trying to eat a very low sugar diet, these may be too high in sugar for you from the natural sugar from the dates.
Get Your Fruit: That’s it. Fruit Bars // www.thatsitfruit.com
These fruit bars are literally JUST fruit – no added sugars. While I would rather eat a whole apple or a bowl of berries this may be a good bar to have when you are traveling (think airport, train, road trip) or need to get in a healthy snack option on-the-go. I recommend the Apple + Blueberry variety. *One thing to keep in mind is that consuming an excess of sugar (any type of sugar – even from fruit) can be detrimental to your health by leading to type II diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance issues. My recommendation for a daily low-glycemic meal plan would include no more than 2 fruit servings a day as your main source of dietary sugar. One of these bars would fulfill that daily serving that falls in line with the USDA Diabetic recommendations of 22 grams of sugar per day for women, 36 grams daily for men, and 12 grams per day for children.
Electrolyte & Hydration Booster: Taste Nirvana // www.tastenirvana.com
For all the busy massage therapists, hair stylists, friends with very physically active careers and lifestyles, this may be a great way to get the electrolytes in to keep you going throughout the day. It also seems as though I always get dehydrated on a road trip because I’m not drinking my normal high dose of pure water – who wants to make ten bathroom stops?! Coconut water is always a go-to for me on road trips to increase hydration. I like the Nirvana Real Coco Aloe which contains no additives or concentrates and is high in potassium.
*A little on the pricier side but my absolute favorite tasting coconut water (other than straight out of a coconut) is Harmless Harvest that can be found at Whole Foods or most natural food markets.
Nutty Filling Snack: Artisina Organics // www.artisinaorganics.com
Great for the student with long study days or someone who wants something very filling and easy to pack and eat later. Just throw an apple in your bag and you’ve got a great filling breakfast or heavy snack! Great for camping trips and I personally love having these while traveling as it can be hard to find healthy food at the airport. Almond butter in particular is my top recommendation because many people have intolerance to peanuts because of it’s core fungus. This brand is also great since the only ingredient is raw organic almonds. You can buy a 10-pack on Amazon.
Superfood Power Snack: Navita Natural Power Snacks // www.navitanaturals.com
The Cacao Goji Power Snack bites are great for my emergency purse snack – you know those low blood sugar moments when you seriously just need something good and quick?! These are also great to have in your car or gym bag if you need a small snack for energy before a workout and are also perfect to take to the beach! You can find them at Whole Foods, natural food markets or on Amazon here.
Enjoy some of these healthier on-the-go ideas and always remember to eat well!
