Snacking on the Run

Sometimes when you are on the run you find your errands taking longer than you expect. Or perhaps you just didn't get enough to eat at your last meal to sustain you through your journey until you get home again. At times like these many of us find ourselves drawn to the lure of a fast food stop. It's quick, it's convenient, you don't even need to get out of your car. The unfortunate thing is that the food found at places like that is generally not going to provide good solid nutrition. Instead the menu options frequently contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and sodium.

One way to avoid that fast food pit stop is to bring some healthy food choices with you. These options can easily be stored ready-to-go in the fridge or pantry. Grab and assemble them on your way out the door and you will not only be making healthier choices, you'll be making budget friendly ones too.

In order to pack your snacks to go there are a few options for storage that make it easier on you. One is a Laptop Lunchbox, a bento-style lunchbox that has separate containers including a tiny one for dips or dressings. Another is To-Go Ware, a tiffin container style lunchbox. Both of these allow you to pack multiple items instead of a simple snack bag with only one thing. Mix-and-match to make your snack as appealing as it is healthy.

Suggestions to take with you include:

Julienned vegetables - carrots, celery, jicama, sweet peppers and cucumber make a great crunchy choice. Bring a little healthy dressing, some hummus, or cream cheese with you to take it up a notch. Add cherry tomatoes or snow peas for a little extra juicy treat.

Gorp - hikers frequently bring this high energy food with them. It stands for Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. But you can make it fancy by using any nuts, raw and unsalted, mixed with a small amount of dried fruit.

Apple - one medium apple is nature's perfect 100 calorie snack food, plus it provides fiber, potassium and vitamin C.

Cheese - string cheese is a portable, ready-to-go snack that is now available as cheddar, part-skim mozzarella, or colby cheese. Add a healthy dose of calcium when you bring this along.

Nut butter and crackers - nut butters make a great snack, especially almond. A little protein to help you make it through until you get home. When choosing a nut butter look for one with the fewest ingredients possible and no hydrogenated oils. Just nuts, and perhaps a little salt is the best choice. For crackers choose whole grain crackers to take advantage of the filling fiber that they offer.

Hard Boiled Eggs - highly portable in their own little containers, eggs provide a great boost of protein. With a pinch of salt, nutritional yeast, or a tasty dressing or dip they make a great addition to your on-the-road snack.

Popcorn - light and easily portable, a crunchy snack of popcorn can be very satisfying. If you are choosing one that was popped in a microwave make sure it is organic and free from diacetyl and PFOA's which are possible carcinogens that can be in the bag material.

Try to avoid snack bars as many of these are very high in sugar and wind up being nothing more than fancy candy bars dressed up to look like a nutritious alternative choice. The excess sugar may cause blood sugar instability.

If you forget to bring a healthy snack with you there is still always one more option instead of hitting that drive-through window. Stop at a grocery store and buy a healthy snack. Buying one apple or a package of healthy trail mix is easy to do. Although we are conditioned to think that when we go to the grocery store we must shop for the week, nothing says you can't buy your item and go through the express check-out.

Sources:
Bauman College Forum