Snacking - good, bad, healthy, unhealthy?

To snack or not to snack? 🥨🍇 🧀

Snacks often get a bad reputation because most people choose packaged snacks out of convenience.

Additionally, it's easy to snack out of boredom and stress, resulting in mindless grazing throughout the work day (or evening).

But if you choose your foods wisely (ex. planning ahead), snacking can give you energy to thrive during the day. A snack between meals can also help you maintain stable blood sugar levels for more consistent energy in the afternoon, decrease hunger and reduce the risk of overeating at your next meal.

What's your favorite snack?

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Featured in Essential Sports Nutrition

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Yield: ~30 balls [1 ball = 1 serving] / Prep Time: ~ 20 minutes

These no-bake peanut butter energy bites make for a perfect energy-boosting treat when you are exercising, traveling, at the office or in school - they are easy to wrap and bring with you. Super easy to assemble, they offer a satiating combination of protein, carbs and fat, which is the perfect fuel during low intensity exercise or when you need to re-charge during a busy work day. Although most kids don’t need to supplement with protein powder, parents shouldn’t be worried about making these protein balls for young athletes/kids as they are a great fuel source to maintain energy levels during training and games, and a much healthier alternative to heavily sweetened, processed snacks.

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, dry (gluten free if needed)
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 10 dried pitted dates
• ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 scoop Vanilla or plain Protein Powder (~18-25g protein per scoop) (plant protein to make vegan)
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

1. Combine rolled oats and chia seeds in a food processor and pulse until they reach almost a flour-like consistency.
2. Add the cinnamon, dried dates, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla protein powder to the food processor. 
3. Pulse until ingredients are blended. 
4. Slowly add water to the food processor and blend until the mixture sticks together. You may need to add more or less water depending on the dough consistency. 
5. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. 
6. Form mixture into 1" balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Let set for 5 minutes before eating or preparing for storage.

Nutrition facts (per serving, 1 ball): 
Calories: 54; Total Fat: 3g; Total Carbs: 5g; Fiber: 1g; Sodium: 24mg; Protein: 2g

Storage tip: To freeze, place balls on a cookie sheet and freeze for up to 2 hours. Remove from the sheet and then place into an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature for 15-30 minutes or warm in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Store in the freezer in a freezer bag for up to one month.

No-Bake Cran-Chocolate Energy Balls

Energy balls are a fantastic snack as they are satisfying (offering a combination of protein, carbs, and fats), are portable, and easy to eat. They tend to be less expensive than store-bought bars (and without some questionable ingredients) and contain basic ingredients that you may regularly have on hand in your pantry. They are also easily customizable with just a basic recipe (for example, change up the dried fruit and/or nut butter for variety). Another positive, they are quick and easy to make and freeze well for later use!

                       Cran-Chocolate Energy Balls

                                                      By Joey Mock, RD, LD, CLT

Ingredients 1 ¼ cups quick cooking oats ¼ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal ¾ cup almond nut butter ⅓ cup honey ⅛ teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt ¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped ¼ cup chocolate chips Preparation Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes to set (this will make the balls easier to roll). Remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Use a tablespoon to scoop mixture* and roll into about 20-24 balls. Place on wax paper. Store balls in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the refrigerator or freeze for longer storage.  Enjoy! *Time saving tip: One of my favorite kitchen tools, a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop, works great to quickly scoop the mixture into evenly sized balls.

For more recipes and healthy living tips, subscribe to our free newsletter HERE and check out the recipes in my book, Essential Sports Nutrition.

Two simple swaps for more real food

Over several years, I've slowly changed my lifestyle habits and moved myself more and more away from a heavy processed and convenience-food diet toward a very real food diet.

Some dietary changes happened quickly whereas other changes required a different appreciation and time to create new habits.

I really value what real food can do for a body, when it comes to health and performance so I've worked really hard over many years to make some swaps when it comes to incorporating more real food into my diet.

I'm not against processed food and don't cringe at the thought of "food" in a bag but I do believe that some foods, like well-fortified foods, help to keep people healthy in all parts of our world. And since I don't have an off-limit food list, I never feel guilty, anxious or remorseful if I eat something processed.

I have a most of the time diet and then there are foods that I eat some of the time/on occasion. The great thing is that neither one is a mass-marketed diet plan so I am able to eat intuitively and mindfully and it's up to me as to what I put inside my body and when.

And I ALWAYS feel great when I eat and even better after I eat.

One of the biggest lifestyle changes in adopting a more real food diet is breaking away from food that is bought or consumed out of convenience. Certainly, it is just as convenient to snack on a washed and chopped fresh fruit salad that you put together and stored in your fridge and combine with Greek Yogurt or a hardboiled egg, as it is to snack on chips, cookies and bars, but it takes a lifestyle change to make sure fruit is available. 

I really believe that something magical happens to the body when real food takes the main stage. With a more real food diet, there is flexibility so that no macronutrient (carbs, protein, fat) takes the center stage. I prioritize proteins and fats, alongside carbs that pack a lot of nutrient density and give me the energy I need to train consistently well. In my diet, plants certainly get the spotlight and I feel this approach is great for everyone to ensure that your body stays in great health with a variety of vitamins and minerals.

I would like to share two simple real food swaps that you can easily try-out next week. 

For lunch the other day, I had this beautiful stir-fry dish.
Would you believe that this dish only had 5 ingredients???
Mixed frozen veggies, cooked black rice, cooked jasmine rice and tempeh cooked in olive oil.

Instead of a fast-food sandwich or wrap, with the meat and veggies in the inside, let's turn that sandwich inside out and fill a bowl with lots of nutrient powerful ingredients and add a grain instead of the bread.
I'm not anti-sandwich but there is only so much "plants" that you could squeeze between two slices of bread.

This swap does mean you have to eat with a fork and not with your hands but perhaps this can be the start to a new lifestyle change of sitting down to eat - with utensils. And, if you have all these items prepared ahead of time, this dish takes less than 10 minutes to assemble and heat.

This real food swap is so simple.
Consider turning your favorite sandwich, wrap or pita inside out for a more plant-strong meal. 

Your goal is to combine lots of veggies, a grain/starch, a protein and a fat for a balanced meal. You can use any meat instead of tempeh and add any fat that you'd like inside of olive oil.

Ready for another swap?

Before an early evening workout this past week, I was in need of a snack. I had some cooked sweet potatoes in my fridge so I took a few out and drizzled them with a little honey and topped with a little butter and cinnamon. I then added a small handful peanuts for a delicious and nutritious pre-workout snack. 

Eating a granola bar or a sport bar didn't even come to mind as I had real food waiting for me for a yummy snack.

Ironically, as I was eating and thinking about the composition of this snack, it hit me that this pre-workout snack had almost the same calories, carbs, protein and fat as a sport bar! Plus, you save a wrapper by eating real food instead of a processed bar so it's great for the environment too.
WIN WIN.

1 sport bar - ~240 - 300 calories, 5-10g fat, 45-50g carbs, 5-15g protein

Real food swap:
1 cup sweet potato
1 tbsp honey (or 4 pitted dates)
10 peanuts
~240 calories, ~5g fat, ~43g carbs, ~5g protein

What real food swaps will you make next week?

Real food homework and a speedy/endurance track workout

This endurance body is happily fueled by real food.
AND
Plant strong for almost 21 years.

A Karel creation:
Jasmine rice and a stir fry of tempeh, peanuts, onions, mushrooms, peppers and marinara on top arugula.
This creation was enjoyed last night and made my tummy/muscles super happy for an early morning wake-up call (4:20am) for a 5:30am track workout. 

Love your afternoon snack
Honor your biological hunger in the afternoon. Do not expect your body to allow you to go from lunch to dinner without food (especially if more than 4 hours between meals or if working out in the evening). A mid afternoon snack is a great way to nourish your body and boost energy. 
Here's one of my fav mid day snacks: 1/2 cup Chobani Greek yogurt + fresh fruit chopped + a few spoonfuls of KIND or organic granola. Enjoy!

Refueling from a long brick
Asparagus, mushrooms and tofu tossed with pasta noodles and marinara, topped with Parmesan.
Karel had the same (larger portion) but chicken instead of tofu. So much flavor! Yum!

Track workout w/ Karel and a large motivating group - feeling the need for speed (and endurance)
2 mile run warm-up
10 min dynamic stretching/warm-up on track
MS: 3x's through
800
600
400
200
(with 200 jog in between)
~1 min rest in between the 3 rounds to refuel/hydrate
(I had 1 scoop INFINIT ISIS Hydration in my bottle to sip during the workout)
~8 miles total (including warm-down laps in opposite direction)

Trimarni homework

Write down the ingredient lists of the foods you are consuming today. (If you are eating out, look up the ingredients online.)

This assignment is for product awareness and to help you form a healthier relationship with the food that you choose to put into your body. This is NOT designed to make you scared of food or to hate food.
Also, this homework is focused on the ingredients in food and not on focusing on organic, genetically modified, gluten, dairy.

Because there is an overload of information on how to "eat healthy" with so much conflicting information (and often causing a lot of disordered eating habits or feeling incredibly frustrated with food), the first step in creating a more balanced diet is to make an effort to eat more real food. Once you incorporate more real food into your daily diet, you will then need to gravitate toward making time to prepare food and maintain this real food diet. It does not have to be perfect (there's no such thing) but instead, make an effort to prioritize real food as much as possible with your daily meals/snacks.
(and stop reading forums/blogs when the "expert" is yelling at you about what foods are bad. Seek out information that inspires you and motivates you to make slow yet healthy changes that move you closer to your personal goals and contact a professional (RD) who will give you credible information. You can not make changes in your lifestyle if you are always worrying about what other people are doing and you will find yourself with info overload if you continue to use the internet to search for the "right" answer.)

Because it doesn't seem appropriate to start changing your eating habits by dissecting real food if you have yet to be consistent with eating food that is grown from earth, take a look at your daily diet to see what immediate changes may make a meaningful difference in your life and health.

Consider clinical, fitness, religious, ethical and personal experiences when it comes to individualizing YOUR diet.

Show yourself that you can prioritize real food for 2 weeks - making time to cook and time your meals/nutrition appropriately around your workouts and schedule- and your body will be in a better place to start making more individual choices with your diet.


There is so much information out there and many times, info that may not apply to you and your goals (or lifestyle).

Your occasional foods should be enjoyed and your daily diet should enhance life.

Simple swaps can easily improve your health and can keep you from feeling the itch to jump on the elimination food/mass marketed diet train. Instead of hearing that dairy is bad and is causing bloating, swap out the artificially flavored yogurt and replace with Greek Yogurt and add real fruit. If you have heard that whole grains are bad or gluten is bad, consider adding organic whole grains like quinoa, teff, millet or wild rice to your diet.

Like with anything in life, you can't rush changes when you want long lasting results.
So instead of wondering if you should choose organic oatmeal vs non-organic oatmeal.....

I recommend to first transition to using plain oatmeal and then adding your own fresh fruit, nut and spice add-in's instead of prioritizing a quick option like flavored oatmeal. 

It's an easy switch but it does require a lifestyle change. To prepare food ahead of time (and you need tupperware if you are taking this to work to eat)

But to make these changes, you have to not only buy the items but you have to plan ahead. And in our rushed society it's much easier to eliminate foods and "not" do something than to be more proactive and add something to our schedule (yet that something may improve health).

Simply identify any ingredients that may give you an "ah-ha" moment as to why you may not be feeling so "healthy" such as food dyes, artificial ingredients, additives/chemicals. Also ask yourself how and why you are consuming those foods. Remember - you can't eat a salad very well in a car and you can only stuff so much "salad" with your protein and healthy fat choices between two slices of bread. Is bread bad or is it what you are eating and when?

Your goal is to gradually move toward a more real food, balanced diet. Not only will real food make your body feel better but it's scientifically proven that a real food balanced diet provides your body with the necessary vitamins and minerals that can reduce risk for disease and improve longevity, health, performance and mood. If you love to eat and you like all those great outcomes of eating real food, what's keeping you from making the necessary small steps?

The ultimate goal is to not feel the pressure from "experts" who are brainwashing you to eliminate heart-healthy real-foods that may improve your health.

If you need individual help, seek out an RD to treat your individual body.

Happy real food eating and enjoying your body in motion.