Making Wise Choices When Hungry: Paleo Snacks
Check out Heartful Kitchen for great recipes as well as my other blog articles for delicious, simple and healthy recipes, which always can be prepared with plenty of leftovers for food-to-go. This article focuses on solutions for paleo snacks for when you are out and about, and haven’t packed fresh protein and vegetables for the day.
When the belly aches in need, or the cravings hit, we have so many choices of what to do to quench this basic human desire. Often we are out and about, and it is all about making the best choice given the options available.
In a pinch, have non-perishable snacks available such as:
Low sugar, grain-free snack bars
Paleo Bar DF is my favorite. Eat half a bar with a handful of nuts or vegetables to minimize any negative sugar effects from the bar
Jerky: turkey, grass-fed beef, ostrich, bison, wild salmon. Most contain sugar, so look at ingredients and make the best choice.
Organic nuts and seeds, soaked and low-temperature roasted for ease of digestibility.
See my recipe for Belly Happy Crisp Delicious Nuts in my cookbook, Heartful Kitchen.
Nut butters or sunflower seed butter with organic celery or carrot sticks or radish.
Organic and raw is best, but always make the best choice with what’s available, and affordable for you.
Canned fish: Pacific sardines, wild herring, or wild salmon
Purchase canned wild salmon at your local Whole Foods or health food store or online here. Purchasing canned wild salmon at stores are much less expensive if you live near one.
Kale chips, homemade, or store purchased.
If you haven’t packed your food, and are hungry, you may find yourself contemplating one of these options:
Vending Machine
If you are standing in front of the vending machine, this may mean choosing nuts, a decent paleo snack choice, instead of pretzels. OR in the same moment, discernment comes in and that wise voice says, “I can actually wait 20 minutes until I get home to eat. I will be ok.”
Restaurants
Stay with the mantra of protein and vegetables. Ask about their various meat or fish options, and choose the wisest option, that will fill you. You may spend more money than you are used to by a protein and vegetable-based meal, but your body will thank you and your digestion and energy level will be in harmony.
Some restaurant tips:
Bison or grass-fed burger, no bun, salad, roasted, grilled, or steamed vegetables
Fish or seafood, and ask where the fish came from. Always check seafoodwatch.com for best choices. Wild salmon, clams, oysters, mussels, catfish, and trout are typically safe bets.
Eggs loaded with vegetables. Add avocado for healthy fat and more filling. Stay away from sausage and bacon at restaurants as they often contains harmful nitrates.
Chicken, but ask what it was marinated in, or what the sauce contains. Often restaurants use products containing MSG, and add butter or cream to dishes.
If at an upscale restaurant, choose wild game and wild caught fish, with loads of vegetables to accompany.
Quick paleo snacks if near a supermarket:
Jerky: turkey, grass-fed beef, ostrich, bison, wild salmon.
Salad bar: stick to protein and organic vegetables as possible and olive oil and vinegar for salad dressing.
Prepared foods: wild-caught fish, chicken, turkey, bison, grass-fed beef or lamb, grilled or roasted vegetables.
Great snacks from the produce section: avocado, carrots, celery, broccoli.
Freshly made soup: look at the ingredients and stick to protein and vegetable based soups with no preservatives or additives.
Organic deli-meat, such as turkey and chicken.
Smoked salmon or trout, if sugar content is low.
Boiled eggs.
Canned fish: Pacific sardines, wild herring, or wild salmon.
Kale chips, but check the ingredients as many contain yeast, cheese, and fillers.
Nut butters with raw vegetables.
Farmer’s Markets and Backyard
Take advantage of seasonal offerings from your local farmers markets and snack as you walk through the gorgeous weekly offerings
Grow your own delicious quick snacks in your backyard such as snow peas or snap peas, carrots, or cherry tomatoes.
“Most of us operate better if we eat often, balancing mood and sustaining energy. Using these tips, support your system with nourishment throughout the day, to reduce cravings and to make healthy food choices.”
When possible, prioritize the importance of your food choices, and plan your daily meals and paleo snacks in advance.