5. Some thoughts on snack foods (that you feel good after eating)
Problem: Most days I find myself wanting to eat a snack in the afternoon. But most snacks are bad for you.
I’m not a stickler for junk food, but I pay close attention to my food habits. Part of the reason I used to gain weight is because I would drink a Mountain Dew every day after school (yikes). These habits add up.
Snacks like chips and crackers are delicious, but easily eliminated from the snack list because of their nutrition. These snacks are highly processed foods - this is true even for the brands that feel “good” like Stacey’s pita chips or Kettle Brand. They have lots of seed oils too, which I’m trying to avoid.
For a while, I tried different kinds of snack bars for my snack. Quest bars have great macros (yay protein!), but are filled with ingredients I don’t recognize. Also, they seem way too sweet to not be bad for you. Lärabars are made up of only fruit, but have high sugar content.
Solution: The mental model I have for snack foods is this: eat whole foods. I’ve been enjoying Fuji apples and Gouda cheese lately. I’ve tried smoked summer sausages. It’s also the beginning of rainier cherry season. These are tasty and healthy snacks.