A Nutritionist's Guide to Healthy Snacking

Let me let you in on a little secret…. you can enjoy your snacks and still look like a snack!

I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about how they need to work on their “ bad snacking habits,” but we are here to tell you: you can keep on munching!

The key to snacking is to choose the RIGHT snacks!

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3 Rules for Healthy Snacking

Here are our three simple rules that help us choose a healthy snack every time:

  1. Go for WHOLE FOODS. When planning out our meals, snacks and treats for the day we stick to the 90 / 10 Rule: meaning stick to eating real, whole foods that come from the earth 90% of the time. The other 10% can be made up of packaged (but still clean and healthy) foods and snacks. (Give or take of course!)

  2. Choose NUTRIENT-DENSE options: Some snacks are more nutrient dense than others. For example, a protein-packed can of tuna is going to keep you fuller longer than a box of crackers. Always choose a nutrient-dense option first when you need to fuel your body for more than a few hours. 

  3. YOU DO YOU: When choosing any food, ask yourself: does the food or ingredients in the food love your body back? I.e. - whether the food or ingredients are considered healthy, are they actually healthy for YOU? Do they work for your unique body? 

Our Favorite Whole-Food Snacks

Organic Fruits & Veggies:
Carrots, celery sticks, cucumber, berries, cherry tomatoes, you name it we approve. We also love to keep an avocado on hand, such an easy snack to whip out just about anywhere. Sprinkle a little Celtic sea salt and BAM, you got yourself one sexy snack.

If you can, try for options that are grown in the US or from local farms and preferably organic. Non-organic conventional fruits and veggies are commonly covered in pesticides that are not only bad for your body but bad for our environment as well. Remember when buying organic you're voting with your dollars and supporting farmers that are doing it right! 

Nuts & Seeds:
Cashews, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds.  We’re nuts about them! A few things to note on the nuts.  Be mindful of the serving size.  A snack of nuts can turn into a meal if you get too carried away.  And, for some, nuts can be hard to digest due to their phytic acid content. If you have issues with digestion, choose nuts that have been soaked and sprouted - this process helps to reduce the phytic acid and make them easier to digest. 

Pre-packed Nut Butters:  
Those little pre-measured packages are to die for, and are always popular at our office. Sharon’s favorite brand is Artisana.  

Pre-packaged Charcuterie:
The deli meats, the fancy chorizo and cheese, yes please.

Pro Tip: When choosing snacks in this category look for organic if possible and uncured ALWAYS with no antibiotics, and nitrate-free.

Deli meats should be cured in either celery salt or celery juice.

Our Favorite Healthy Packaged Snacks

Simple Mills Crackers
We are truly in love with Simple Mills.  They have the most delicious crackers, perfect for on-the-go snacking.  They are full of flavors like rosemary, cracked black pepper, and even a cheez-it style.  They are made from REAL FOOD ingredients and always less than 10 of them.  We recommend combining them with some veggies and maybe some charcuterie.

Chomp’s Snack Sticks
All the flavor, all the chewy goodness, none of the preservatives or junk.  These jerky sticks are affordable and tasty and so easy to toss in your bag.

Barnana’s Plantain Chips
Such a good option for if you’re craving a crunch.  Certified Organic and NO bad oils or ingredients you need to worry about here. These plantain chips themselves are delicious, but also come in flavors like salt and vinegar which are to die for.

Lesser Evil Popcorn
We love to keep this on hand.  It does really well with the kiddos too!  We love this brand because it is made with super clean ingredients that love you back.  If choosing another brand or making it at home, make sure to stay away from vegetable oils like corn, safflower, sunflower etc. You can read more about the healthiest cooking oils here.  

Vital Farm’s Hard-Boiled Eggs
These farm-raised beauties come in their own little packages and are super easy to enjoy on-the-go. Sharon likes to keep a little container of her own Celtic sea salt on hand to sprinkle on top.

 

And, not to toot our own horn, some of the healthiest snacks you can eat are our delicious soups  & Keto Broth - both powered by bone broth.  

organic bone broth soup

Three of our soups are Whole30 approved - meaning dairy-free, gluten-free & grain-free, while our other three are made with grass-fed dairy. Our bone broth soups: 

  • Are Certified organic
  • Contain 10+ grams whole-food collagen protein
  • Contain ZERO added sugar
  • Contain ZERO preservatives
  • Ready in minutes! 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP OUR SOUPS POWERED BY BONE BROTH

keto bone broth dairy-free

We also have some ahhhhmazingly delicious keto broths.  They contain: 

  • 10 grams of whole-food collagen protein
  • 10 grams of healthy fat
  • ZERO grams sugar
You do not have to be on a keto diet to consume these - they're insanely tasty (just read the reviews), ready in minutes and are the perfect, nutrient-dense snack that will keep you full for hours. 

SHOP KETO BROTH NOW

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This blog was written by our contributing writer, Amanda Chaplin 

Amanda is in her first year of naturopathic medical school in Chicago, Illinois.  She has a special interest in autoimmune disease, chronic pain, and holistic nutrition.  Amanda has a strong background in public and global health, epidemiology, and immunology.  She has a passion for writing, recipe development and making pertinent health information easy to understand and implement into daily life. You can learn more about Amanda @theholistic.honey

 

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