Heart-Healthy Trail Mix Recipe

If you are looking for a healthy snack that will also satisfy your taste buds, consider making a batch of your own trail mix. Of course, you can always go to the store and buy pre-made, packaged trail mix, but given how easy it is to make, and the options of being able to cater to your specific tastes, making your own is definitely the way to go.

The reason trail mix is good for your health because it primarily consists of natural ingredients. If you want to make a healthy change to your diet, try to eat your food at a state most closest to what it actually is in nature. As an example, flour is not naturally ghost white. It has a tan, brownish color. The white stuff means that the product has been processed and bleached and, consequentially, stripped of nutrients. Another example is the potato chip; the opposite of health food. How closely does a chip, ruffles or not, actual look like a potato? It doesn't and this is a clear indicator that the food has been processed and should give you moment for pause when you grab a bag off the market's shelf.

Many of the common ingredients for trail mix (raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, etc.) have not undergone significant processing. They are as close to their natural state as possible. As such, these are the kinds of food you want to include in your diet. These are the kinds of foods which go a long way towards helping your body burn fat, build muscle, and also keeping you feel full and satisfied, so you aren't compelled to overeat.

In addition to using natural ingredients, trail mix is a great snack because it can provide an array of healthy nutrients. Generally, there are ingredients which contain complex carbohydrates, which provide your body with much-needed fuel, and protein, needed to build and feed your muscular system. Seeds (typical sunflower or pumpkin seeds), commonly found in trail mix, contain heart-healthy monosaturated fats.

Combine all the benefits from the various components of trail mix and you have a snack that tastes delicious and is extremely healthy. You can feel good about providing a food like this to yourself, children, or your significant other because you know it will be contributing to their well-being. In a world of over-processed, nutrient-stripped snacks, you all stand to benefit from it.

Heart-Healthy Trail Mix Recipe (makes 2 cups):

- 1/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds

- 1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

- 1/4 cup roasted, salted almonds

- 1/3 cup walnuts

- 1/4 cup dried strawberries

- 1/4 cup dried cranberries

- 1/4 cup dried cherries

Combine ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix. Scoop individual servings into sandwich bags and tightly seal the bags. Enjoy the flavor of sweet dried fruit mixed with salty nuts and seeds whenever you want a healthy snack!