Here is a great list of many --- but certainly not all - of the food items that we recommend to our clients for healthy snacking and fulfilling those salt, fat and crunch cravings.
These grain-free crackers and chips work great for parties and snacking.*
Julian Baker – Primal Thin Crackers, Simply Organic – Cauliflower crackers, Fit Joy Grain Free Pretzels, World Cuisine Saffron Road Baked Lentil Chips, Farm to Bag Beanitos, Garden of Eatin’ Grain Free Tortilla Chips, Siete Grain Free Tortilla chips, Totally Gluten Free crackers, Simple Mills Almond crackers, Paleo Thins crackers, Le Pain des Fleur buckwheat crisps, Flackers Flax Seed Crackers, Sami’s Bakery - Millet & Flax Plain Chips, Yehuda GF- Matzo-Style Squares.
Jackson's Sweet Potato, Heirloom Blue Potato or Heirloom Red Ridged Potato Chips- Jackson's sweet potato chips are fried in coconut oil and salted with sea salt. Limit your portion size when you have these because it is easy to eat the whole bag if you are not careful.*
*Even with good chips and crackers you want to eat a small amount of crackers/chips and a large amount of what you are dipping it in. In fact - don't dip - load. Load the chip/cracker up with the hummus, salsa, guacamole, bean dip, etc.
Veggies PLUS
Sliced peppers, carrots, celery sticks, etc. with hummus, guacamole or bean dip. Pre-made guacamole is available almost anywhere now - organic is best but not necessary. Hummus is easily found - it is best to get the brands made with olive or sunflower rather than canola oil. We like the Ithaca Hummus brand.
Avocado sprinkled with sea/real salt and a handful of almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds. Half of an avocado goes a long way… or eat the whole thing depending on your needs. There is a video on our Facebook page on how to buy avocados.
Chocolate PLUS
Julian Bakery’s or Lilly’s high cacao content stevia sweetened or high quality Baker's chocolate dipped in your favorite nut butter. This is particularly useful when your hormones might be pushing your cravings & emotions around a bit.
Thinking outside the "bag"
Roasted Broad Beans or Chick Peas - There are a few alternatives for these high protein, high crunch snacks. Some of them even taste a lot like sourdough pretzels.
Kale Chips - these come in various vegan-dairy, gluten free flavors.
Go Raw sprouted seeds –pumpkin, sunflower or mixed, Also Almonds, Cashews, Macadamia and other nuts (On the good better best scale: sprouted is best; raw or dry roasted is better and roasted in a good oil is good.) – These are great on their own or mixed in homemade snack mix. Seeds make a nice base for a grain-free cereal or as a wholesome cookie mix in.
Cheese with pickles or fermented veggies. Raw cheese is best and there are a variety of raw cheeses and fermented veggies available in our area - including pickles.
Celery with nut butter. This concept is veggies with a protein fat combo. So if you don’t like celery try another veggie of choice with a nut butter of choice.
Do you have a snack to add that you think we and our clients would like? Be sure to comment!