Healthy Snacking

A lot of people have been asking me lately to give them a list of healthy snacks to munch on, which will keep them on target towards reaching their weight loss and fitness goals. Therefore, this month's article is for all those that feel lost when it comes to choosing healthy snacks.

Some of what I'm going to tell you here you may already know, but hopefully it will remind you to choose healthier when it comes to the foods you decide to snack on in the future.

The first thing to keep in mind is to eat clean when it comes to snacking and even when consuming regular meals. What does "eating clean" mean exactly? It means eating those foods that are just that, food.

Unfortunately, lots of the foods on grocery store shelves today are overly processed and have so many additives that they don't even resemble the original plants or animals they were derived from. The end products may have started out as either fresh produce or as a nice cut of meat or fish, but that all changed after it was dried out, ground up, smashed, bleached, baked, fried, and who knows what else. If that isn't enough to make you think twice, lots of additives like salt, sugar, coloring, preservatives, and an array of other products are added to make it look better, taste more appealing, and have a longer shelf life. What does this mean for you? It means that you are getting a lot less nutrients and a lot more unwanted calories, toxins, and just plain junk that you probably don't want if fitness if your primary goal.

The best snacks to eat are those that are closest to being picked from the vine or that have 1 ingredient, like apples, oranges, chicken, steak, beans, avocados, celery, carrots, etc. The key is to get creative with your foods. You can mix and match 1 ingredient foods to create fun and exciting snacks or meals that support your healthy lifestyle.

Here is a great tasting snack idea to get you thinking clean about your in between meal treats.

Fruit Desert:
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup fresh chopped strawberries
5 fresh stevia leaves diced
10 raw unsalted almonds