The "Eat Clean" Philosophy & Snack Time!

My favorite time of the day: snack time. I mean, who doesn't love snack time? Lately I've been doing a bit of "research" as I needed to switch up the foods I've been eating... Eating the same 10 things every day gets a little old, so I found some new healthy snacks! I figured it this would tie in well with my "eat clean" blog post, so here we go!

New Fav Snack... we will get to this in a few :)

Many people are transitioning to the "Eat Clean" lifestyle which translates to ingesting natural, whole foods (vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, lean proteins), and avoiding junk food, sugar, and processed items as much as possible. I found an awesome quote depicting the "eat clean" philosophy: "if it is man made, don't eat it." This would include white breads, candy... things you wouldn't find in nature. Kind of gross to think about.

First of all, lets talk about peanut butter. Who doesn't love peanut butter? What many people don't know (including me, until now) is that PB is packed with sugars and oils. No wonder why it tastes so good. When looking at the ingredient list of my 'Reduced Fat Skippy Peanut Buter,' there is a laundry list of ingredients... eww. Our bodies don't need all of those extra ingredients! Lesson learned: the ONLY ingredient that should be on your peanut butter jar.... is peanuts. Pretty self-explanatory, huh? So, I found myself a new peanut butter: Teddie! :)

It is all natural, the ONLY ingredient is peanuts, it is the SAME price as your regular Skippy of Jif, and it honestly tastes good! Now, it doesn't taste super sugary (duh), it tastes like... chewed up peanuts. Added bonus: there is zero sodium. None! Compared to the 160mg of sodium in my Skippy. (Teddie also has half the carbs and only 1g of natural sugar). So what it your excuse to not buy this instead?

Next up- Rice Cakes! I always hear pageant girls talking about rice cakes and I never quite understood why. After all, don't they just taste like air? Well, not when you prepare them the way I do! This is another "clean" food, as the ONLY ingredient is whole grain brown rice. Perfection!

Get the plain, unsalted kind= healthiest. (chocolate is good too...)

So, the PERFECT snack is a combo of your all-natural peanut butter, a rice cake, and a sliced-up banana! You can't get much healthier than that:

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 221

Fat: 8g

Carbs: 33.5g

Sugar: 12.5g

Protein: 5g

I'd say that is a good, clean snack, as the sugars and carbohydrates are natural from the banana, the fats are "good" fats from the nuts, and a little protein always helps! Another alternative: sprinkle a dust of cinnamon!

35 calories... Haha! Love it!

Chocolate milk. While I've always tried to avoid this because of the sugar content, lately I've been reading articles that explain chocolate milk's strong benefits after a workout! The mixture of the protein content, carbohydrates, calcium, and yes, sugar, will help to restore your body's energy. Plus, it is WAY cheaper than most protein-powders (like my favorite Muscle Milk, which I refuse to give up). This quote sums it up well: 

"This sugar will cause a spike in insulin levels, driving the glucose molecules into the muscle tissue and replenishing the energy stores for your next workout. Without this insulin spike, you’re going to be looking at a slower recovery period, which could mean more time out of the gym."

Tell me that doesn't look heavenly.

 I loved this article- tons of factual, nerdy, health-freak information. Then again maybe I loved it because I could understand it all (thanks, nursing)! Read more detail here: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/30/benefits-chocolate-milk-after-your-workout/

Remember, eating smaller, more frequent meals is the BEST way to keep your metabolism going throughout the day. I tend to eat 5-6 meals to avoid the rollercoaster your body goes through when you are eating 3 large meals! Chug water all day, and check out the ingredient labels on everything you eat- the fewer items, the better (and obviously more natural!)

I just love ya.

Ready, Set, Eat Clean!

Morgan