April 7, 2016 general

Snappy snacks

Perhaps you have the same problem that I do. Massive nutrition research quite clearly says that we all need to cut back on refined carbohydrates such as “foods” made with flour and sugar. (I put foods in quotes because they are edibles that come from factories and do not occur in nature.) Eating high quality proteins, good fats, lots of vegetables and a few fruits may lead to superior health, but they don’t always satisfy a particular hankering. Of course, I should note that when we have a nearly overpowering craving for sweets and starches it may well be an overgrowth of yeast sending out its lunch order. Those cravings we had better tame at their source. Here I’m talking about a more innocent itch for something crispy and crunchy that a cucumber just doesn’t scratch. An Oreo or some potato chips might fix it, but they are obviously not healthful foods and our friendly bacteria don’t like them. Fortunately, there are healthful crunchy solutions for carb cravings.

Last night I added a new treat to my selection of acceptable snappy snacks. At Costco I spotted a big bag of Bare Fuji / Apple Chips. These taste decadent but they aren’t. The only ingredient: organic apples. True, eating a fresh apple would be better, but those are not always handy and a few of these chips kept me from looking around for something evil. Apples are 84% water, therefore, by my calculations, the Costco bag of 14 ounces of chips is equivalent to about 5½ pounds of apples. So, depending on where you live and what produce you have access to, these chips seem pricey but may actually be half the cost of the fresh organic variety. Buying the tiny single servings shown on the supplier website is not such a good value but Costco didn’t show the big bag on their site.

Dried vegetables are a similar idea. You’ve probably seen dried green beans or carrots at the market. Those are okay but less than ideal because they are usually fried and coated with dextrin (a food coating made from starch). They also contain salt which is an issue for some folks. I recently discovered some very attractive and better-tasting assorted vegetables (green beans, carrots, purple sweet potatoes, okra and shiitake mushrooms) that are crisped at a low temperature. The brand is “My Snack” a variety of types come in screw top plastic jars. The other ingredients include maltose (similar to dextrin), rice bran oil and salt. They seem much less oily. This product comes from China and I wish it was organic, but, hey, at least it isn’t an Oreo.

Another staple in my snacking hoard is Go Raw Ginger Snap “Cookies“. These are nicely crunchy, flavorful and slightly sweet from the all organic ingredients: coconut, sprouted sesame seeds, dates and ginger powder.  4 cookies combined contain about ½ tsp of sugar (naturally-occurring…mostly in the dates). They are sold in natural and gourmet stores. Go Raw also makes a spirulina bar that often serves as my lunch on the go. Spirulina is an algae (vegetarian) that is high in protein and nutrients.

I have noticed than when I am well rested, well-hydrated, supplementing minerals such as magnesium and have eaten a meal with adequate protein and good fats, I’m less likely to crave even the foods above. In that more ideal situation a frozen grape or a piece of xylitol gum might suffice even for dessert.