Eating Clean On The Go

Eating Clean On-The-Go

Whether it’s a busy day at the office, a long road trip or while running errands on the weekend, we’ve all had those times where we are moving a million miles a minute and need to refuel on-the-go.  Convenience food is all around us and when we are in a rush and stress levels are high; most people find it easier to stop for fast food, grab some candy at the office or a snack from a gas station. While it would be highly unlikely to see me stop for fast food (it’s been about 5 years), I am definitely guilty of the last two every now and again.

The problem with just grabbing whatever we can find on-the-go, is that what we grab is more likely to be highly processed, probably not as nutritious and not as likely to give our bodies the natural energy and nutrients we need to refuel.  

The good news… is that with a few simple, staple ideas on hand and a little bit of extra planning you can make sure you’re prepared with clean snacks when hunger strikes. I’ve made a point over the last few years to make sure I have several clean snacks on hand at the office and home so I can throw one in my gym bag, purse, or car. 

There are a lot of great options that would fit the profile of a clean on-the-go snack, but today I’d like to share with you #1 of my Top 3 on-the-go clean snacks…

#1 - Nut & Fruit Trail Mix

The options are endless here and it’s even possible to find healthy nut or fruit mixes pre-prepared in stores (e.g. Trader Joes).  My favorite thing to do is to buy a combination of some of my favorite nuts (cashews, walnuts) and then pair them with 1 – 2 types of dried fruit. Each week can be a different combination so you don’t get tired of the same old thing.

There are two things you have to watch when eating and creating these healthy trail mixes. First, while nuts are a good fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and have a great combination of Omega 3’s and protein, they are very calorie dense (high in fat, low in water), so you don’t want to eat unlimited amounts that could add up to several hundred extra calories a day.  Secondly, you want to make sure you don’t overdo it on the amount of dried fruit you include.  I like to add in a little bit of dried fruit because it reduces my craving for sweets and adds more fiber and antioxidants. But, you have to make sure you are not buying dried fruit with additive sugars and watch your portion size as dried fruit is nutrient dense as well.

Tip: Mix your nuts (and dried fruits if you choose) in a bowl, and then portion each into snack size baggies to make sure you don’t overdo it. You can also buy the 100 calorie almond and cashews packs (no added sugars or salt) in the store, but it’s usually not as economical.

#2 and #3 Coming Soon: Larabars and Fresh Fruit

Posted in: Clean Food