Snack Attack

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I have a hopeless sweet tooth and I love to snack between meals. Some days seem like an endless string of snacks, accented by bigger portions to make an organized meal official. I struggled for many years with incessant eating of sweets and munching on stuff that was not even food, much less any good for me (what are those toaster pastries, anyway? ... they're not really food.) Nowadays, when making power pantry choices, it can be difficult to find snacks which provide any nutrition, much less satisfy a sweet tooth. Over the past several years, though, I've gathered a list of options for healthy, tasty snacks which are real food, and very healthy as well.

I keep these snacks on hand around the house and at my desk as work, and I make it a point to pack a snack bag for on the road or when I'm facing a lapse between meals. All of these choices are real food, not processed food, not faux food, not something sold in a silver-lined wrapper that will last until 2080 if unopened (although many of these totally natural snacks may last for months or even years if kept in a cool, dry place...)

Here are some great snacks, which I enjoy regularly, in no particular order:

• Fresh fruit (apples, pears, peaches, grapes, bananas, cherries and more...)
• Almonds (raw, unsalted)
• Walnuts (raw, unsalted)
• Dried banana chips (unsweetened)
• Raisins (dark or golden)
• Dried cranberries
• Pumpkin seeds (raw, unsalted)
• Dried dates (medjool)
• Dried figs
• A variety of other dried fruits (apricots, apples, cherries, goji berries)
• Sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted)
• Cut up veggies (carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, cucumbers)

A key to healthy snacking with many of these is portion control. Limiting servings to about 100 calories, and truly 'snacking' (ie, taking your time and nibbling, not gobbling a couple of handfuls and then yearning for more) will lead to healthful success. A medium-sized apple or peach, or 1/4 cup of dried fruit, is just about right; calories of nuts add up quickly, so a small handful is plenty. Give some of these a try, and ditch the faux food snacks. Your body will thank you for it.

By the Way

A great bedtime snack for me is frozen berries. They're available year-round, and tend to be great quality (frozen fruit is flash-frozen just after picking and cleaning). I like a small dish (about 1 cup) of frozen berries or mixed frozen berries (black-, rasp-, straw-, and / or blue berries) with a little raw honey or agave nectar drizzled on top... Sounds like a good snack for right now...