When my family goes on vacation, we always pack tons of snacks. But when you're riding in the car for HOURS or lying on the beach on day, it's easy to pack on the calories from greasy chips and fattening cookies, and such. I'm as guilty as the next guy for eating out of boredom. I've been trying to ditch that bad habit, but in case I can't resist snacking, I wanted to make sure we had tons of healthy snacks on hand.
Ideally, I'd have fruits and veggies as snacks, but it can be tricky to pack a cooler of fresh produce when your car is already packed full of beach chairs and suitcases. So we got fruit and veggies from a nearby supermarket when we arrived, but here's what we had for the road:
1. Fiber One Chocolate Cereal. It's only 80 calories per serving and obviously high in fiber. Not to mention, it's much lower in sugar than other cereals. It's great for breakfast, but perfect for a snack, too.
2. Kashi Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cookies. I had never tried these cookies before, but oh my goodness they are so good. They're low in saturated fat and made with whole grains. They're also high in fiber.
3. Kashi Trail Mix Granola Bars. These bars are my go-to snacks. They've got almonds, cranberries, and raisins in them. They're perfect to hold you over from one meal to the next, after a workout, or even for breakfast (especially if you spread a little peanut butter over the top).
4. Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds. Almonds are high in protein and have lots of heart healthy fats.
5. Popcorn Indiana FIT Popcorn. This stuff is so good. It's only 40 calories per cup, but has lots of flavor.
6. Triscuits. Any flavor. They're all delicious. They're low in fat and are made with whole grains!
***Things to remember when buying snacks:
1. Choose whole grains. You should aim for about 48 grams of whole grains per day and lots of snacks are now made from whole grains.
2. Choose snacks high in fiber. Fiber will help keep you fuller, longer. So you won't be snacking endlessly.
3. Watch your sugar intake. "Healthy" looking granola bars, cereals, and snack mixes can be loaded with sugar.
4. Be aware of the portion sizes. I'm sure we all eat out of the chip bag, the ice cream carton, whatever. But it's hard to eyeball portion sizes. A bag of pretzels may only be 100 calories per serving, but if you're eating straight from the bag, you could be consuming 4 or 5 servings before you know it.
When you reach your destination, stock up on fruit and veggies. Hummus and salsa are great alongside those veggies, too. I also like having eggs on hand (hard boiled eggs are a great breakfast or lunch idea, as well as a good snack). Lean turkey slices and Greek yogurt are good choices, too.
Vacation is all about relaxing and enjoying yourself! I definitely splurge on vacation, especially at dinner and even dessert. So I try to keep the snacking calories to a minimum and as healthy as possible!
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