Snack Attack

Are you trying to eat clean but find it difficult when the mid- morning, or mid-afternoon, or midnight munchies attack?

Don't let snack time ruin your clean eating goals!

Below are two of my favorite snacks. One is for those who can/choose to have dairy. The other one is for ALL THE PEOPLES! (unless, of course, you have a particular sensitivity)

Blueberry Honey Greek Yogurt
The name pretty much says it all:

2 heaping tablespoons Greek yogurt
slightly less than one tablespoon ground golden flax seed
big squirt orange blossom honey
6-8 blueberries

Mix first 4 ingredients, then add blueberries, give a quick mix again, and ENJOY!

Not sure about that ground golden flax? Don't skip it! It gives a good texture to your snack and there are many health benefits to flax. Here are just a few:

• High in fiber
• Good source of Omega-3 fat (the good fat)
• High source of lignans, which may protect against estrogen-dependent cancers like breast cancer
• Decreases insulin resistance and may protect against diabetes

Trail Mix A-Go-Go
You can combine anything you like. The best part about it is that you can put it in a small (or medium) container and take it with you. This is great for long work days or shopping trips where you may find yourself hungry but without easy access to healthy snack options.

Here's what I like to make:
Raw walnuts
Raw sliced almonds
Raw pumpkin seeds
Raw sunflower seeds
raisins
60% or darker cacao chips

In order to ensure you get all the health benefits of this yummy snack, make sure your nuts and seeds are RAW. Why? Because roasting them destroys many of their nutritional benefits.

Those benefits include:

• Omega-3 fat
• Great source of protein. Those looking to build muscle mass can eat a handful of raw nuts for an additional protein boost, and those looking to lose weight can also benefit because protein can help regulate hunger throughout the day.
• Good source of fiber and we all know how important fiber is to keeping our stool soft and regular! Not having enough fiber in your diet can lead to bloating, lethargy, and constipation.

I have found that one of the most important keys to maintaining a clean "diet" is making sure I have healthy snacks readily available, especially when I'm on the go. There's no better way to sabotage yourself than becoming absolutely starving and having no option but making a trip through the drive-thru or giving a vending machine a shakedown.

DON'T DO IT! :)

Now you tell me, what are you favorite clean-eats snacks?