3 Tasty Snack Swaps You’ll Love

Do you start the day with a green juice and have a salad for lunch, only to dive headfirst into a cookie binge at snack time? We’ve been there. But no more: For National Nutrition Month in March, we’ve teamed up with Made In Nature to give snack time a healthy — but still delicious — makeover.

Swapping candy, cookies and chips for more nutrient-dense snacks is an easy way to make a big impact. And don’t worry, we’re not talking about grabbing the same old boring carrot sticks and string cheese. You can have decadent, satisfying, enjoyable snacks if you follow these guidelines:

• Avoid Refined Sugars. While it may have many names, including evaporated cane juice and cane crystals, refined sugar can spike your blood sugar and cause you to crash later on. Ironically, that crash sets you up to overeat at your next meal. Naturally occurring sugar from fruit doesn’t create spikes because of its fiber.
• Stay Away From Artificial Ingredients. Conventional packaged snack foods are often loaded with synthetic junk that can weigh down your system instead of boosting your energy. Make sure all of the ingredients in your snacks are minimally processed, real foods you recognize.
• Say Yes To Healthy Fats. Don’t shy away from the “F” word at snack time. Healthy fats in foods like nuts, coconut, seeds and olive oil quiet your rumbling tummy, keep you feeling full longer and help your body perform its major functions, including efficient metabolism.

THREE SNACKS WE LOVE

Besides grabbing a piece of fruit or whipping up some homemade hummus, it’s always good to have ready-made snacks to throw into your workout bag, backpack or kid’s lunchbox. Made In Nature is our favorite go-to, made with real-food, organic, non-GMO ingredients, with no processed sugars, unhealthy fats or excess sodium. Here are three of their tasty portable treats that will satisfy all kinds of snack cravings:

1. Dried Fruit

When your sweet tooth is aching for a hit, ditch the candy and grab some fiber-packed, naturally sweet dried fruit. Made In Nature’s organic Dried Mangoes are chewy and sweet, and they’re also full of essential nutrients, so you kill the craving and still feel like a champ afterward. When buying dried fruit, grab a brand that is non-sulfured, like Made In Nature; sulfur dioxide has been linked to respiratory problems and other ailments.

2. Fruit and Nut Energy Balls

If your inner cookie monster is growling, calm the beast with cookie-like snacks that taste like dessert but perform like nutritional powerhouses in your body. Try Made In Nature’s Figgy Pops — bites of goodness that incorporate chewy figs and dates along with nuts, dried fruit and spices. Our fave are the Choco Crunch Figgy Pops, chock-full of organic cacao nibs, coconut, vanilla and cinnamon.

3. Kale Chips

If crunchy and salty is calling your name, go for Made In Nature’s Kale Chips, which offer a full serving of real veggies, with no excess carbs and unhealthy oils in sight. And who needs dip when you have flavors like Olive + Sea Salt and Rosemary Truffle?

Find Made In Nature snacks near you so you can crush those #SNACKATTACKS!

Originally published at Clean Plates.