Yesterday was a beautiful day here in New England. It really couldn't get any better. Summer feels like it goes by in a flash so you have to get out there and enjoy it. So many people spend time in the spring getting their "beach body" back in shape, only to bring a bag of Cheetos and chips along with them down to the sand come summertime.
When planning out a beach snack think of a few things: 1. hydration-choose foods that are packed with water. Fruits and vegetables are good examples. Fresh berries, grapes, oranges for example will pack a punch with natural sugars and give you a little fluid as well. 2. portability-make your own snack packs. Avoid bringing the whole bag of anything so that you will not spend all day noshing in the sun. Just bring what you think you will ultimately eat. 3. food safety-keep cold foods cold. Plan on packing a cooler to keep cold foods cold and try putting your water bottles in the freezer the night before to serve as your cooler "ice packs". It's a two for one. When they melt you will also have something to keep you hydrated on the beach.
Beach bags and coolers don't have to be filled with processed, high calorie, high sodium, sugary snacks. Putting a little effort in the night before, you can pack up a high fiber, high vitamin, healthy cooler that will leave you feeling refreshed and energized at the beach instead of guilty and water logged from too much sugar and sodium. Here are some tips on how to pack a balanced, feel good, beach day cooler.
Fruitabu Organic Smooshed Fruit Snacks: These are delicious and unlike traditional fruit roll-up's, they are free of additives. Traditional fruit roll-ups contain things like: dried corn syrup, partially hydrogenated cotton seed oil, citric acid and dyes, just to name a few. All sugars are found naturally within these fruit snacks and each flat is equivalent to a 1/2 a serving of fruit. These are extremely portable, so they are so easy to take along to the beach, on a hike or bike ride too. http://www.fuitabu.com/
Carrots and Hummus: I scooped out just enough for two people into a tiny little bowl to take with us. That way we wouldn't be caught with the whole container of hummus and end up eating the whole thing! Hummus is a yummy spread/dip that consists of chickpeas, sesame tahini, olive oil, garlic. I personally like Cedars brand.
Peanuts, dried cranberries and chocolate chips: This is a perfect little combo. Protein from the peanuts, natural sugars from the cranberries and sheer happiness from the chocolate chips. I don't want the chocolate chips to melt all over the other two ingredients, so I usually throw them in a little plastic baggie that I keep in the cooler next to the ice so that I can throw a few in the peanut/berry mix right before I eat it. This snack is energizing and portable.
Multigrain Triple Berry Cereal Bars: 100% Natural from Nature's Choice. I was a little skeptical when I bought these because I was afraid they would taste like cardboard, but I was pleasantly surprised. These are delicious for a cereal bar! They are low in fat and made from oats and barley. More importantly they are filled with real fruit and contain no preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/CategoryDisplay?cgmenbr=587770&cgrfnbr=881905
Along with these few snacks we also brought along fresh fruits, water bottles, tuna sandwiches (yum..made from the leftovers from our delicious tuna steak we had on the grille the night before).
7-Day Goals:
So, you have already asked yourself "what can I do to be more healthy today" if you followed the first post.
Try asking yourself another question:
-What can I do today to get in a healthier snack? What will I need to do to make that happen? In order to achieve this goal it might require a trip to the grocery store or local farm stand. If you haven't had any fruit today, add one to your next meal.
Good luck today and take off and enjoy the summer sun with some new healthy snack ideas!
~K
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