Healthy Snack Foods

So many patients ask what they can snack on. Some need a crunch, others salt, and others sweet – well you know what I think of the last one – but I may include something even for those proverbial sweet toothers.  However, before I embark on outlining these foods, I want to stress how most (not all) people do not need to snack at all.  Yes, Virginia, you can make it through a day without a snack – it’s called being hungry and losing weight. I can’t remember the last time I had a snack.  But, if you don’t need/want to lose weight or simply need to maintain a healthy weight and wish to snack; or even if you want to lose weight and snack, here are some suggestions that will keep you beach ready and heart healthy.

1. Organic onion garlic almonds – now, the nut in this instance isn’t really relevant.  It can be the nut of your choosing. But, sometimes, it is nice to have a nut that has a little flavor. In each of my books, there are recipes on how to do this yourselves. The recipe is the same for any spice you choose. However, for those of you who don’t cook, there are many ready-made flavored nut snacks available – just make sure there is nothing in them but nuts, the oil, and the spices.  These savory snacks are full of stomach-trimming fiber, satiating protein and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and studies show that those who eat more nuts in their diet, average 10% less body weight than those who don’t.

Roasted Almonds with Paprika, Serves 6-8
            10 ounces whole blanched almonds
            1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
            1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
            1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 450 °F. Place the almonds on a baking tray and dry roast them in the oven for about 5 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir in the macadamia nut oil, paprika, and salt. Return the tray to the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

2. Wild Boar Salami – this is something I recently discovered while I was in Dallas last month. It is seasoned with cloves, juniper berries and because it is wild, the richness of the animal’s diet comes through such as roots, grasses, nuts and berries.
3. Sunflower Seeds – this produces a nice crunch and they are high in monounsaturated fats (if you need a refresher as to why these are so good for you, please refer to The Hamptons Diet book.  These seeds are also packed with zinc for your immune system, vitamin E for your cardiovascular system and choline which may protect against memory loss.
4. Kale Chips – don’t say “blech” these are actually quite good.  Kale is full of anti-oxidants; rich in vitamin C, beta carotene and omega 3 fatty acids; not to mention the flavanoids like kaempferol, quercetin and glucosinolates which are currently being studied to fight against cancer.  Get the baked ones without any sugar.  They come in many flavors too.
5. Salmon Jerky – I guess beef jerky will do in a pinch but at least this is ripe with omega 3 fatty acids, is free of nitrites, artificial additives and preservatives.
6. Sacha Inchi Roasted Seeds – these are chock full of protein and fiber and are roasted at a low temperature to preserve the omega 3 fatty acids.  Plus they are from the Amazon and I am now a huge fan of that area since my trip to Colombia.
7. Pork and Beef Sticks – these are like jerky only made with all-natural, lean beef and pork with half the calories of the more processed counterparts.
8. Seaweed Snacks – this is probably one of the healthiest foods on the planet filled with nutrients that can support your thyroid gland, give you lots of energy and act as a natural detoxifying agent.  Seaweed contains iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, vanadium and zinc.  Several studies show that it may protect against cancer and help slow the aging process (there, my secret is out).  Look for a product lightly roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.  At press time, I would avoid any of the Japanese products.
9. Chocolate – no snack discussion would be complete without a discussion on this topic.  Please note that cocoa powder and the bean do not contain sugar and is one of the highest anti-oxidants known to man. I recommend the organic raw cocoa nibs.  These pack more anti-oxidants than blueberries, green tea or red wine.  They are unroasted and unsweetened and taste delicious.  They may even help your memory.