It is SO easy to grab processed pre made stuff when hungry for a snack.  But if your body is calling for a snack, then give it what it wants – REAL food!  Here are 3 ‘real food’ snacks and 1 ‘not so much real food but better than most processed crap’ snack you can try.

1. Brown rice cake with almond butter and sliced banana

A company called Lundberg makes rice cakes out of brown rice.  The only ingredients are whole grain brown rice and sea salt.  Top this with some almond butter and sliced bananas and it is pure heaven.

 2.  Greek yogurt with pure maple syrup and walnuts

Forget the store bought yogurts with artificial ingredients and sweeteners.  Try using real greek yogurt and mix in a tablespoon of pure, maple syrup for sweetness.  Add some crushed walnuts on top for a heaping of Omega 3 fatty acids and your body is loving you!

3.  Mashed avocado with sliced tomatoes and a sprinkle of sea salt on toasted Ezekial bread.

Why Ezekial bread?

Sadly, the majority of breads on the market are nutritional wastes.  First, most breads contain sugar and are made from grains pulverized into flour, both causing insulin spikes in our bodies. Second, most contain major preservatives. (How do you think they last so long on the shelf?) Lastly, most contain phytic acid which prevents absorption of certain minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium.

Let’s back up for a second and take a look at how breads are made.

Flours that make up bread start out as grain kernels.  Grain kernels have 3 parts to them: bran, endosperm, and germ.  When making white flour, the bran and the germ (the healthy parts of the seed) are removed and the remaining endosperm (sticky carb stuff) is left and is pulverized into flour.  So not only are the ‘good parts’ of the kernel taken away, but as stated above, pulverized flour, in any form, digests very rapidly and causes sugar spikes.

What about whole wheat bread?

Whole wheat bread is definitely better than white bread, as it keeps all three parts of the grain kernel in tact, and results in more nutrients than white bread.

But there is an even BETTER option out there than whole wheat bread:  bread that is made from sprouted grains.

Remember how before I mentioned that in whole wheat bread, the 3 parts of the kernel are kept in tact before it is pulverized?  Well, sprouted breads take it a step further.  Sprouted breads allow for the germ part of the seed to actually germinate, or turn into a sprout before it is pulverized.

The sprouting process allows even more nutrients to be saved while at the same time reduces the amounts of anti-nutrients (phytic acid) found in the seeds.

Another benefit of sprouted bread is that it uses more than just one grain.  White bread and whole wheat bread just uses wheat, whereas sprouted bread uses grains and legumes including barley, millet, oat, lentil and soy.  Using varied grains allows for the sprouted bread to contain a more complete protein, and complete proteins are absorbed by the body more slowly, thus allowing for less insulin spikes.

Other benefits of sprouted bread include no added sugars or artificial ingredients, and low to no sodium.

4.  Beanitos (Nacho Cheese flavor)

Have you heard of them?  They are chips that basically taste like Doritos but are made out of beans!!  It is definitely a stretch to call them ‘real food,’ but sometimes you just NEED that crunchy salty fix, and these are a much better option!  The first ingredient in Beanitos is whole navy beans!

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