Healthful Snacks

The quick answer:  There’s nothing wrong with a snack between meals.  Just make sure it’s real food. 

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The 13 Themes

As you know, the 52 Healthy Changes follow 13 themes, which repeat in the quarters of the year and when taken together reform the modern American diet (MAD).  The three oracles of scripture, tradition, and science guide our transformation.  A reader asked to see the themes listed so here they are:

#1   Slash sugar intake

#2   Enjoy healthy fats and shun unhealthy fats;

#3   Organize your diet;

#4   Proper meals;

#5   Exercise;

#6   1^st vegetable topic;

#7   Micronutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, minerals);

#8   Special topics (snacks, fasting, natural light, spices);

#9   Meat topics;

#10 Whole grains;

#11 Home cooking;

#12 2^nd vegetable topic;

#13 More special topics (sunshine, sleep, stress, probiotics/fermentation)

This is a work in progress so expect these to change with time as new information appears, or to combat some new craziness dreamed up by Food Inc.

Food Inc.=Tobacco Inc.

We believe in and support the free enterprise system.  We really do . . . with one caveat:  We support it as long as the corporations look after our best interests.  Unfortunately when a business gets large, as happens in a big country like America, there’s a tendency for the ruling powers to stop caring about the customers.  This is sadly true with Food Inc.

 I don’t think it has to be that way, but at the moment I can’t think of a large food corporation that really cares about us consumers.  It’s just about the money.  Some fine day in the not-too-distant future, we may look back at their conduct as the low moral point of our time.  

A fascinating article in the N. Y. Times, “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” told of a 1999 gathering of the titans of Food Inc.  The CEOs of Kraft, Nabisco, General Mills, P&G, Coca-Cola and a few others gathered to discuss their role in the rise of obesity that threatens our healthcare system.  One speaker linked the products of Food Inc to the rise of obesity and then did the unthinkable—the one thing no Food Inc CEO wanted to hear—he compared them to the tobacco companies.

The CEOs weren’t ready to hear the message that their crown jewel products were part of our obesity problem, and that they were acting much as the cigarette companies had, so the meeting was a failure.  It was probably their last chance to be good citizens. 

The author of the article, Mike Moss, has a book out this spring, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us.  The book promises to reveal the clever science used to find the “bliss point” in factory food—the optimal mix of sugar, salt, and fat that can hook us on their products.  It’s troubling, the sophistication and science being used to promote factory made food-like substances of doubtful healthfulness.

Healthy, Affordable Snacks

The goal of this post is to rediscover healthy snacks.  In a prior post we summarized reader’s healthy snacks.  Here are ten ideas for traditional snacks that are wholesome and affordable:

1. Fruit:  Nature wraps some fruits in individual servings, like the apple, banana, orange, and peach.  Purchased in season, they’re a nutritional bargain.  In winter, enjoy dried fruits.
2. Veggies:  Carrot sticks and celery (with PB) are favorites.  But try broccoli, cauliflower, or zucchini with a little hummus.   Important point:  To get your daily five veggie servings, you should get at least one in your snacks.
3. Green Smoothies; easiest way to eat your greens plus you get fruit too.
4. Seeds:  Sunflower seeds are a healthy treat.  Popcorn is a real bargain—put popcorn in a paper bag, staple it closed, and pop it in the microwave.
5. Nuts: Buy them in bulk at harvest, save them in the freezer, and enjoy year around. 
6. Homemade bread:  This is my favorite snack, toasted with butter.  You can bake a loaf for under a buck if you buy yeast in bulk.  Homemade bran muffins make a great snack; put a batch in the freezer.
7. Homemade granola makes a great snack too.  Try Katie’s Granola Recipe.
8. Hard-boiled eggs:  A great treat: boil them on Monday and enjoy all week; pastured eggs are high in omega-3 fats.
9. Cheese, especially with bread or healthy crackers, or in a quesadilla.
10. Sardines:  For essential long-chain omega-3 fats, sardines are the best value.  Our grandparents ate them on crackers; we should rediscover the humble sardine.

Healthy Change:  We used the weekly menu rule to take control of food selection.  To control snacking, prepare a snack plate early in the day. 

Please comment:  When we eat regular, healthy meals, we snack less and make better choices.  You can find healthy store-bought snacks but ours are mostly homemade.  The best snacks are minimally processed—whole food snacks are best; we draw the processing line at granola and trail mix.  Please share your favorite snack ideas.

Comments

[Laura]

We eat a lot of apples and cheese for our snacks.

[Ann]

Snacks are challenging. I have also been trying to rediscover the sardine. My son went through a phase at about age two where he would eat a whole can by himself. Now I'm the only one that will eat them. They're really not too bad on crackers with a little mustard. Our grocery store now has them in pouches; I bought some for our 72-hour kits.

[Don]

Thanks Skip for the 13 themes. They need to be on the frig. It is hard to beat celery sticks, carrots and cherry tomatoes for a V8 juice substitute.

[Brooke Reynolds]

I found that article fascinating Dad.. makes me feel like such a sucker!

[Valena]

I loved the link to the NY Times article. I can't wait to read his entire book when it comes out. But one thing I think that was missing from his argument (at least in this article) concerns the addition of MSG to many of our "snack" foods. I have discovered that many of my previously favorite snacks contained MSG, and I truly believe that it is a serious contributor to processed food's addictive nature. I determined to give up ALL food that contained MSG, and since doing so, I have found that I have fewer food cravings, and I feel more satisfied after eating meals -- and that satiety lasts much longer. In fact, my need to snack has almost completely disappeared.

I'd love to know if my results are merely anecdotal or if there is more evidence out there to back up what I've experienced.

Thanks for taking the time to share all your research with us, because it has allowed me and my family to embark on a great journey of healing and health as we've switched our diets to include more natural foods.

[Robert Falck]

Thanks for the post.
Conspiring men will make their way through the economy, from tobacco to food...

[Mindy]

I'm forwarding this post to all of my friends. I've had more than one raised eyebrow at play groups when I mention that I don't buy snacks for my kids. Of course they snack, but instead of "fruit snacks" or goldfish, they grab a banana or a piece of homemade whole wheat bread. It worries me to no end what we (generally speaking) are setting our kids up for..."needing" to eat something--anything--every two hours, and none of what goes in their mouths particularly good in the first place. I heartily agree with this post!

[Cami]

I know this is off the topic for your post, but perhaps you could encourage your readers to go to the website regulations.gov to voice their opinion against the milk industry adding chemicals such as aspartame into our milk without labeling it. I don't know if anybody has seen this in the news, but you can follow this link to read more... http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/milk-industry-petitions-fda-to-allow-artificial-sweeteners

[Audrey]

I would just like to express my graditude to you and your beautiful wife for this blog! I have only just come upon this blog and i just love the information that you make available and your efforts in stayin updated with what is really going on. I have one child who is 1 year old and my husband and I have only been married for two years and am grateful for this blog because it is helping me to implement good healthy habits in my little family. I really value this blog.

[skip hellewell]

Audrey
Thanks for your kind note. I'm encouraged by all the people who are starting to "get" how the W of W is much more than the prohibitions. And thanks to all for sharing with your friends.
Best to you

[Judy]

Put staples in the microwave (popcorn)? Won't that cause an electrical reaction?

[skip hellewell]

Hi Judy
Just try it Judy, you'll see that the small staple isn't a big enough antenna to even cause a spark. But you can also just fold the top of the bag a couple of times and it will hold pretty well. This is the simplest way to make popcorn. Best to you.

[Ann]

That NY Times article was interesting and disgusting at the same time. I agree that instead of trying to get Food Inc to play fairly, it's best to just avoid their products if at all possible. Processed food by definition (2 months from production to table) just isn't going to taste good without the additives.

I agree with Valena, I was wondering why he didn't mention MSG at all. I've read that it is an excitotoxin and very addictive. I avoid it in all it's guises ("natural flavoring", yeast extract, hydrolyzed soy protein....)

[Allison S]

I want to eat that whole beautiful plate in that picture. Snacks are rough with tiny sized children and a Cheetos eating husband. I have every intention to do healthy snacks but I often fall short. I've been duped into thinking too often that my children need something more substantial than "just a fruit/vegetable" for a snack but without fail they gobble that fruit/vegetable up and are satisfied. Healthy dips like guacamole or hummus do wonders for them (and myself!) as well to get more veggies in. And I make my husband take them with him during the day if he asks me to buy something less healthy for him from the store like Cheetos...then I'm not tempted to give them to the kids because it's quick and easy or they seem them and beg me for them. Since I mostly give them healthy snacks at home it helps me not to stress out about them getting less healthy snacks outside of the time. And my little girl has always seen me eating nuts and she loves them just as much as I do!

[How to motivate your downline]

Great post. I just located your blog and wished to let you know that I have certainly loved reading your blogs. At any rate I’m going to be subscribing to your feed and I really hope you are writing again soon. Healthy snacks for superbowl

[Rebecca]

I like to snack on poached pears, sometimes with plain yogurt. Delicious and healthy :)