Top 3 Healthy Snacks on the Go

Healthy snacks for travelers or business people on the go must be easy, quick, and portable without being messy. Hitting the road can mean hours or days of travel, strenuous lay-overs, energy-robbing traffic jams, and the lack of time or facility to provide ourselves with nutrient-dense foods. This makes it even more important for us to conquer these challenges with food that replenishes our system instead of draining it even more. The following are my top three suggestions for healthy snacks on the go.

 

An array of cashews, pine nuts, chest nuts, macadamias, brazil nuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans also provides an array of valuable minerals and vitamins. Since each nut is packed with protein, essential fatty acids, fiber, minerals (magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus), and vitamins (B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, E, PP), this makes a perfectly nutritious, energy- and brain boosting snack. By the way, nuts provide energy through lipids. Therefore, worry less about the high fat content in nuts, most of it is the heart-healthy kind, which is an extra added benefit. Extra tip: Check the ingredients on the label when buying nuts to ensure that you will not have added oils (like canola oil) in your medley. Remember, you are looking for the most natural way to eat healthy.

 

Consuming dried fruit will add a nutrient-dense food to your healthy snack; think high fiber content and beneficial antioxidants. Dried fruit contain little to no fat, making them a perfect energy-booster for athletes, high-performers, but also busy people on the go. The benefits include also vitamins and minerals (vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, vitamins E and niacin (PP), iron, and magnesium. The richest in potassium and sodium are dried apricots. Dried banana has the highest magnesium content. Figs have the most calcium (EFIC, 2015).  Make sure to watch for unwanted added sugar when buying dried fruit. They have enough sugar as is – no need for additional. Extra tip: Consume dried fruit in moderation because of its high calorie content. Also, especially dried apricots can be pretty laxative if eaten in larger quantities.

 

Colorful, organically grown orange, purple, and yellow carrots, mixed with celery and cucumber sticks makes this medley of vegetables not only easy to take on the road, but also beautiful for the eye to look at. This crunchy powerhouse provides not only vitamins A, C, K, B1, B2, and B6, but also micronutrients and minerals like copper, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, biotin, and silica. Extra tip: Buy your vegetables fresh, wash and cut them right after returning home, and store them in a cool and moist place. Wrapped in a damp kitchen towel and put in a cooler will keep them fresh for days and ensure their crispness.

 

 

 

Reference:

European Food Information Council (2015), Retrieved from http://www.eufic.org/page/en/page/faq/faqid/fruit-dry-nutritional-benefits/