Don’t we all know it … You look after your health and make sure you eat clean and nutritious food but there’s still some times when you just didn’t prepare the healthy snack to take with you for later.
I don’t know about you but that can be truly frustrating for me when I’m out of the house for the day and realise that I don’t have anything decently healthy to snack on with me. This normally means I’ll have to make do with what’s available where I am, and not necessarily as healthy as I would like it to be.
And therefore this post is about one of such ‘snack emergencies’ or actually how to prevent them. I try not to leave my diet choices down to luck but do accept that there will be times I may simply not always have the time to make a healthy snack at home.
For that reason, over the years I have compiled a list of my favorite clean and healthy snacks that I resource myself to whenever I’m going out for a day or even for when I’m at home but just don’t have any home-made snacks available for that healthy energy boost.
In order to prevent the occurrence of such ‘snack emergencies’ and having to rely on getting whatever is available where I am at a given time, I simply always make sure I have some of my tried and tested clean and healthy snacks bought in advance and stored in a designated cupboard in my kitchen (I add them to my regular shopping list to get them in advance while doing my regular shopping so it doesn’t feel like an extra effort).
Best Clean and Healthy Snacks on the Go (my favorite snack shopping list)
1. Prunes (partially de-hydrated)
These are delicious and so healthy. Prunes are sweet in taste and will provide the energy boost and the ‘sweetness’ you need to focus on whatever you are working on/studying etc. Make sure you choose partially de-hydrated prunes which are soft to eat and often don’t contain any preservatives (always check the label to ensure that the brand you selected doesn’t contain potassium sorbate or any other preservative. You should only see one ingredient i.e. partially de-hydrated prunes or pitted prunes + water).
Pro Tip: prunes contain a ton of fiber and in my opinion are the best thing you can take against constipation, in case you have an issue with that.
2. Dried Apricots (brown-color ones (NOT orange), which are without preservatives)
This is another clean and healthy snack which is also very sweet in taste. They are perfect for when you feel like having something ‘sweet’ to eat to lift you up especially when you need that mental focus and influx of energy. My mom tends to have a few of those every day with her coffee in place of a standard ‘biscuit’ and she loves them 🙂
Pro Tip: only buy ‘clean’ dried apricots, without preservatives!
3. Nuts
Another healthy snack, known for brain health and therefore boosting mental energy and focus. It doesn’t matter which nut type you’ll go for. As long as you have no allergies, all of them are super nutritious.
Pro Tip: buy only ‘clean’ nuts (one type or a mix) without any unhealthy or artificial additives (eg flour, sugar, caramel, any odd ingredients you can’t recognise). If you like a bit of seasoning/spice with your nuts, it’s fine too but do make sure you check the list of ingredients on the packaging to know what you are having ie it should be just nuts and the particular spice e.g. cashew nuts and pepper.
Avoid sugar at all costs in any form.
I’m not listing salt as a forbidden ingredient though (which may sound a bit controversial) because some people (like myself) have low level of sodium and therefore from time to time I will get myself a pack of salty cashews, even though I don’t use table salt at all.
The purpose of recommending these snacks and providing additional tips is to help you choose the best quality snacks that are truly clean and healthy. For sure, preservatives and sugar will not be healthy for anyone.
Salt, on the other hand, not necessarily for all. And if you’re not sure if salt is recommended for you, consult that with your medical practitioner first.
4. Baby Food Desserts
Ok, I know this one may also sound a bit controversial so let me explain 😊. I never quite understood the purpose of desserts for babies (seriously, does a 4-month old need a dessert?) so I figured how to utilise them for myself.
You see, baby food is expected to be made from best/safe ingredients so if it’s good enough for a baby, it should be good enough for the adults, right? Mostly true, except for the fact that most baby foods still contain sugar (believe it or not).
So after a bit of browsing I found a few baby food brands that didn’t add sugar to their desserts (I ONLY consume desserts) and started having it as my on the go snack (mousse/yogurt type).
What I like about baby desserts:
- mostly clean ingredients, no sugar and often organic (still always check the ingredients list)
- they diversified my usual healthy snack stash a bit (it may get boring after a while to eat the same thing over and over again so it’s good to have a choice of different types of healthy snacks within your arsenal 😊. This also prevents you from getting an unhealthy snack when you fancy something different)
- I only use baby desserts packed in mini glass jars which is a natural container and perfect for this type of snack. Not to mention so easy to carry in a hand bag. Unfortunately, these days I see them more often in plastic tubes which is a no-no for me, personally.
- it serves well as a yogurt/mousse/custard type of snack, is sweet in taste and satisfies my need for ‘something sweet’. They are often made with banana (which I personally like) or some berry fruit with small addition of rice starch or yogurt.
Tip: I would stay away from any ‘eggy’ desserts.
And before you ask me the burning question in your head, I will answer: “no, I never felt embarrassed having my baby dessert in front of work colleagues or the likes”. At the end of the day, why should my baby fruit dessert be shamed over their KitKat bar?
And most of the time, it wouldn’t even show I was having a ‘controversial’ snack since you can easily cover the label of the tiny jar with your hand while you eat 😊 (Also, these days some yogurt brands sell their yogurts in mini jars too so it doesn’t raise that much suspicion now as years ago when I set this precedent 😊).
5. Nakd Bar
I absolutely love these bars. They are made from only raw and natural ingredients and come in a good selection of flavors. The main ingredient that “glues” everything together is date (dried fruit) with addition of another fruit, natural flavor and a bit of nuts (usually cashews or peanuts). I like all the ones I have tried so far but there’s still so many other delicious flavors to taste 😊. The ones I tried so far: salted caramel, cocoa orange, blueberry muffin. You can easily take one of these with you and enjoy your clean and healthy snack wherever you go!
6. Vegetable Crisps (home-made)
Ok, this snack needs to be home-made prior but because you can make these healthy veggie crisps completely effortlessly in a special food de-hydrator, store them after you made them and take with you in a paper bag or small container, I just needed to add it to the mix. What a tasty and nutritious alternative that is to regular oily and of dubious quality crisps as we know it. So if you feel like you’re having too much junk crisps and find it hard to quit, you must give the food de-hydrator a chance and make your favorite snack yourself in a much healthier version 😊.
7. Dark Chocolate (100% raw cocoa)
Last but definitely not least, is something that all dark chocolate lovers will appreciate most 😊. However, I need to be honest here, dark chocolate made with 100% cocoa and NO sugar is not a snack for a regular milk chocolate muncher. It’s an acquired taste and although I personally love it, it may not be the best snack choice for you, if you haven’t worked on your sugar addiction yet.
Although I personally tend to go for 100% cocoa dark chocolate, I feel it’s ok to have something like 70%+ raw cocoa chocolate too with some addition of stevia or sugar to enjoy the health benefits of this snack. As long as you don’t indulge on it every day, it’s perfectly fine (for me it’s once in a while treat as a nice addition to the above everyday snacks).
Raw cocoa is rich in magnesium which plays an important role in boosting energy levels whereas high amounts of polyphenols in cocoa improve brain function. It’s a ‘no-brainer’ choice for one of those times when I need to ‘sit on it’ and get mental focus.
Tip: This is one of my fav dark chocolate brands
Clean and Healthy Snacks On the Go: Final Word
These are my personal favorite 7 clean and healthy snacks on the go. I hope the above tips and information will help you create your own healthy snack list and give you a basic knowledge on what to look out for in snacks to ensure you get the most health benefits from consuming them, especially when on the go.
I am constantly on the lookout for great quality food, including snacks, as it is important to have not only a healthy but also a varied diet that we can truly enjoy.
So my final piece of advice would be-once you find a healthy treat you like, don’t stop-keep looking for another one while enjoying the one you found. It’s way too easy to go off the rails with your healthy diet once you get bored with your usual snack and, as a quick alternative, grab something you wouldn’t do otherwise.
And, yes, at first it may seem like a bit of a chore having to check the food labels and educating yourself a bit on what is what. However, in no time you will know exactly what you are looking for and what should or shouldn’t be on your healthy snack ingredient list.
It WILL get easier and more fun too 😊.
Nonetheless, if in any doubt about any food or ingredient, consult with your doctor first.
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