10 Healthy Snacks

What do all of these snack ideas have in common? They're all Food Foundation Detox friendly, meaning they have no wheat, corn, sugar or soy in them but they do have healthy protein and fat to promote proper digestion.

I've been known to say a piece of fruit is a terrible snack. Seriously, have I gone off the deep end? No, it's because fruit is full of fructose which is pure sugar.

What I should further explain is that fruit ALONE is a terrible snack because all of that fructose can cause a spike in your blood sugar. A better plan is to eat a combination of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates in your snack.

When we grab a piece of fruit or a simple carb like crackers we upset the blood sugar balance and increase our insulin response. This is why a huge part of the American population is pre-diabetic.

This may also be why our kids, fed simple carbs all day in school, have so many blood sugar problems like ADD. If the snack is a Diet Coke or a fruit smoothie with fruit and juice, we are really on a blood sugar roller coaster.

Did you know that fruits and vegetables were carbohydrates? Most kids, actually most adults don't even know this fact. Although we are all individuals that require unique diets, for the most part your snacks and meals should look like this:

40% Carbohydrates including no more than 15% of that number in grains

30% Proteins with the most bioavailable nutrients in animal based proteins

30% Healthy Fats like nuts, butter, olives, avocados and coconut

The most important step you can take in your daily snack choice is to reach for protein and fat. Imagine you are building a fire, the carbs are the paper, they burn immediately in the brain and then snuff out. Add kindling like proteins to keep the energy burning longer.

When you really need a long slow burn for your muscles (including the heart muscle), add a healthy fat as the log on top of the fire. The fat slows down the absorption of all the sugar and gives your body the tools it needs to digest properly.

Here are some ideas for healthy snacks I share with my detoxers. When we detox, the point is not to starve and take out all of the foods you love. No, the point is to look for the good foods that fuel the body and build a long slow burn of energy.

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10 Healthy Snack Ideas

  1. hard boiled eggs and and an apple
  2. celery sticks with any nut butter or cream cheese
  3. ham or turkey slices rolled up with cream cheese
  4. carrot sticks with hummus or baba ghanoush
  5. cucumbers and smoked salmon with tsatziki (yoghurt sauce)
  6. raw nuts, coconut, and seeds over whole fat greek yoghurt
  7. a salt brined pickle and salami
  8. olives, roasted peppers, artichokes and feta cubes
  9. blue cheese, walnuts, and a pear
  10. an avocado with whole fat cottage cheese

Our bodies were meant to burn fat, work all day, migrate and be able to access stored sugars in time of great need like running from a bear. Now, we have inundated ourselves with so many paper thin carbs that our bodies have transformed into sugar burners. We need the next fix within 2-4 hours or we get "hangry." Ever heard of it, hungry + angry.

This used to be me before I tried my first sugar detox. I would knock someone over for a brownie if I let 4 hours go by without food. That brownie would last 1 hour and then I would need another fix. Now, I can honestly wait hours for the next meal, go shopping, and then begin to cook something with patience and concentration.

This can be you too. Try it, for the next week, grab these snacks or any combination you like of 40/30/30 carbs/proteins/fats. Avoid the empty "paper" crackers, pretzels, chips and breads and go for the healthy fat "logs."