Good Snacks to Eat when You're in a Hurry

"You want my recipe for trail mix? Here it is - plain M&Ms, Kraft caramels and peanut M&Ms. Gets me over those mountains." - Rosanne

Choosing what to eat has become a tad bit stressful these days, hasn't it? If you're not worried about artificial flavorings, calories, fat content or sodium levels, there's sure to be something in today's news broadcast to make you worry some more. Ideally, we all should make our own food for every meal. However, that ideal world lives in some parallel universe and not the one we happen to live in. If you're in a hurry and hungry, avoid fast food restaurants (please) and instead munch these filling, comforting and reasonably nutritious snacks.

Bananas

Bananas are loaded with all kinds of good things like Vitamin B6 and fiber; they're filling; and they're sweet. However, some people are turned off by bananas because they were forced to eat them as a kid. When I was homeless, I was given a lot of bananas and so I still have flashbacks of that time of my life when I sniff a banana. To make bananas tastier without completely destroying their nutritional content, try this:

• Peeling, slicing them and freezing them. You can then eat them straight from the freezer or mash them up, add some chocolate syrup and then it tastes a lot like ice cream.
• Eating two or three Hershey's Kisses with the banana. Three Hershey's Kisses is a mere 100 calories . Obviously ignore this if you are allergic to chocolate.
• Eat a banana with a small handful of unsalted peanuts. Ignore this if you are allergic to peanuts.

Unsalted Peanuts or Mixed Nuts

Also skip the kind that comes with any kind of coating. You just want the raw nuts. Yes, they certainly have gone up in price, so don't eat a whole can at once. My Mom eats them out of a half cup measuring cup. Since they're loaded with protein, you really don't need much to get the nutritional benefit. Eat them with a drink like apple juice or cold water and they help to make your stomach feel fuller.

One of the great things about nuts is that they release their energy into your body a little bit at a time. This is opposite from a sugary snack, which generally gives you a quick burst of energy for only a short period of time.

Yogurt

These are portable, reasonably filling and comfortingly creamy. Women or the elderly need all of the calcium they can get and yogurt can be a painless way to get it. Read the ingredients carefully before purchasing any. If you are vegetarian, avoid any yogurt that lists "gelatin" or "kosher gelatin." Store brand yogurts taste just about as good as national labels and cost much less. There are vegan yogurts available, but I've personally never tried them so I cannot vouch for them.

Granola Bar

Not a cereal bar, or a protein bar, but a granola bar. They're usually salty and sweet. The crunchier kind is usually healthier for you, but not by much. If the crunchy ones hurt your teeth, try dunking them in tea or milk to soften them up a bit. Worse comes to worse, smash the granola bar and suck on the little pieces. Although granola bars are usually loaded with sugar, they do make a better snack than a candy bar or bag of chips. You do have to stop at just the one bar, not eat half the box in one sitting.

Also, I have a feeling that a lot of readers are going to skip the bananas and plain nuts and rather go for something more appealing to their sweet tooths. And yes, I'm guilty of this, too.

I didn't find granola bars when I lived in England, but I did find something similar and filling called "flapjacks". (Note to Americans - these flapjacks are not pancakes). They are one thing I definitely miss about England. Granola is called "muesli" in England, so if you find a muesli bar, (which I didn't, but never mind), that is more like a granola bar than a flapjack.

Additional References

University of California San Francisco Medical Center. "Healthy Snack Ideas." August 17, 2011. http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/healthy_snack_ideas/

Mayo Clinic. "Snacks: how they fit into your weight-loss plan." http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/HQ01396