The Perfect Snack!

So... you're trying to eat healthier and clean up your diet. One of the biggest challenges seems to be snacking. I mean, there seems to be no limit to the amount of pre-packaged snack food items available. And for those of us defecting from a junk food junkie diet, choosing a healthy snack can be daunting. I advise to steer completely away from the pre-packaged, highly processed foods. Yes, even the ones labeled "healthy," "organic," and "sugar free." It's still pretty much junk.

Don't avoid snacks! 

We're looking for filling foods that provide nutrients and energy to fuel our brains and workouts. The best option is to eat whole foods. Ideally, the snack will have a good blend of protein, healthy fat and complex carbs. My favorite, most portable snack-- almonds! This great info-graphic explains why:

The only downside? Those little buggers can be quite addicting! I always portion out individual servings because I love them so much I tend to just keep popping them in my mouth. 

AND, if you've never tried it, you really need to swap out your peanut butter for almond butter. Peanuts have recently come under fire because they can carry aflatoxins-- followers of the paleo and primal diets swear off peanuts. I personally have made the switch from peanut butter to almond butter because almond butter just tastes better and has a higher protein content. Plus, I've begun making my own almond butter, which is fairly easy to do. And then I have control of the ingredients.

Not quite sure what you could possibly do with almond butter? Check out these recipes via the Huffington Post. Yum. Again, the only problem... I'm highly addicted to almond butter. Seriously. Give me a jar of almond butter and a spoon, and I'm in heaven. 

Check this out: Nuts.com has every kind of almond imaginable. (I'm serious... coffee and cream almonds?! Are you kidding me?!)

Disclaimer: I was contacted by Nuts.com and invited to share the infographic and a blog post. But truly, I am in love with almonds!