Snacks on the Run

I'm a snacker, especially when I'm out all day, and it's surprisingly hard to find healthy, quick foods that are also inexpensive! So here are my favorite portable snacks:

1) Fresh fruits and vegetables - apples, bananas, grapes, and pears aren't too messy and are easy to pack. So are unsweetened applesauce cups. Pre-cut carrot sticks, celery, and snap peas can be packed in a plastic container.

2) Almonds - loaded with healthy fats and protein, but also calories, so it's best to keep a controlled portion in a small container so you don't go overboard.

3) Trail mix - I make my own with almonds, dried fruit, sometimes dark chocolate chips, and whatever else I find in my cupboard! Or pick up a bag from Trader Joe's awesome selection of trail mixes.

4) Whole grain pretzels and crackers

5) Nonfat/lowfat yogurt - Plain yogurt that you sweeten yourself is best, but natural food stores (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc) will have healthy sweetened yogurts without all the junk.

6) Bars - even though it's somewhat of a processed food, it's super cheap and can be a healthy alternative to other quick foods. My favorite is a box of Trader Joe's "Sweet, Savory & Tart Trail Mix Bar" and the "Mojo" bar by Clif. They both use organic brown rice syrup and whole ingredients that you can actually see with your eyes! (Yes, I said see with your eyes) I also like Kashi's "TLC" granola bars.

Things to look out for:

• Check out the nutrition facts and ingredients list. Look for one with 200 calories or less and a legible ingredients list. Also watch the sugar and fat content.
• Typically the kinds dipped in "chocolate" and "yogurt" are made with heavily processed coatings, not the real thing. Stay away.
• Always check the back for fishy ingredients!

7) String cheese or cheese wedges - already comes portion-controlled! You could pair this with the crackers or fruit.

Share with us your favorite to-go snack ideas!

- Organic Lisa

Know your (Nutrition) Facts!

Did you know that every food that comes from your grocery store, except for whole fruits and vegetables, comes with nutrition facts and an ingredients label? The FDA requires it. That means no matter how healthy a product seems, the truth is on the back label. It might look difficult to decipher at first, but it's quite simple.

Take a look at this Naked smoothie:

It's all natural, has no sugar added, packs in almost a day's worth of protein, and must have lots of pineapple, oranges, and coconut blended in, right? But look at the ingredients:

Ingredients are listed by weight. It's mainly juice! That's a lot of sugar and no fiber from whole fruits. Then, to reach the 30 grams of protein labeled on the front, they add a bunch of processed "protein" concoctions. Be sure to look at the serving size. One serving is 8 fluid ounces, and there are two servings in a bottle. That's 440 calories and 56 grams of sugar per 16-ounce bottle! Wow. You're much better off making your own smoothie made of real fruit, a little juice, and some yogurt to add protein.

I was blown away by this one:

Aw.. it looks so comforting and delicious! The box is small, so this little meal can't be that bad.....

Holy !!!! The chicken pot pie, which couldn't have been bigger than 4 inches in diameter, packs 660 calories, 50% of your fat, 70% of your saturated fat, and 44% of your sodium that you can consume in one day, based on the average 2,000 calorie diet! And you probably won't even be full after you eat this! Not to mention an ingredients label so extensive that it would only fit on the side:

White meat chicken should consist of white meat chicken, shouldn't it? Their cooked white meat chicken consists of "white meat chicken, water, modified rice starch, chicken flavor, dehydrated chicken broth, chicken powder, flavoring."

Do you flavor your chicken with chicken flavor? How about polysorbate 80, sodium benzoate, or lard in your chicken pot pie?

Next exhibit: Chocolate chip cookies!!! Wait, chocolate chip (flavored) cookies?

I can't believe these are even called cookies. They don't contain real chocolate chips, just sugary oil globs flavored with cocoa. It contains artificial flavor, and these cookies are loaded with trans fats. Trans fat is fat that is commercially processed to extend the shelf life of processed foods, such as baked goods. It's made for the benefit of the food companies, not you! Consuming trans fat (and saturated fat) increases bad cholesterol and your risk for heart disease.

Be aware that foods can be listed as "trans fat free" as long as it contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Those 0.5 grams can add up. The only way to be sure it contains no trans fat is to look in the ingredients list. Trans fat hides under the name "partially hydrogenated oil."

Finally, a food growing in popularity lately -- yogurt. Plain yogurt is healthy. It regulates your digestive system and is a good source of protein and calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. The only ingredients are cultured milk and pectin. But when things get fancy, read carefully:

What originally contained 2 ingredients now has 15, including high fructose corn syrup, modified corn starch, aspartame, and artificial coloring! Try a healthier treat: plain nonfat/lowfat yogurt sweetened with honey or agave nectar, add some fresh fruit and sliced almonds or a couple teaspoons of granola. It tastes a lot better than this artificial diet yogurt!

Be sure to look at the nutrition facts and ingredients list on every food you buy. In general, the shorter and simpler the ingredients list, the better. Think, would I use these ingredients if I were making this from scratch? Look out for artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and anything you can't pronounce. On the nutrition facts, the most important part is the serving size.

Health claims on foods are designed to trick you. Know what you're eating by reading the facts. Or better yet, make food from scratch so you know exactly what goes into your body.

How do I eat better?

When I tell people I'm studying to be a Registered Dietitian, usually the first thing they ask is, "So how do I eat better?" I wish it was as easy as saying, Don't eat so much, or Eat your vegetables, but then there would be no need for my blog! In reality, it takes a lot of analysis of your current diet to know what needs improvement. But you don't need to hire a dietitian to start eating healthier.

Before you make any major changes to your diet, it's important to know your current eating habits. The best way to learn is by keeping a food log. Write down everything you eat and drink for 5 days (and I mean everything - no cheating), and you're bound to see some patterns. For me, it was too much fruit and not enough vegetables. I also tended to reach for something sweet when I was low on energy. And I wasn't getting enough protein. But now I work on these areas to create a more balanced diet.

Try it - and be honest with yourself! Maybe you'll find out that you tend to snack a lot. Or you eat a lot of processed foods. Or your daily latte fix is getting expensive. There's no better time to start changing these habits for a healthier, happier you.

Welcome to my site!

Hello! Thanks for visiting my site. I created this blog so I can share my thoughts and tips on food, health, and overall well being. I hope you enjoy it!