I feel one of the biggest hurdles to eating a clean, healthy diet is SNACKS. Many people struggle with cravings for something salty, sweet, or just sugary in general. Snacks are certainly my biggest weakness. But, over the years I have found ways to snack healthier. My knowledge is based on what I’ve learned from clinical nutritionists, my own research, and other health experts. AND it does make a difference!

I have found that eating less sugar in general stops my cravings for sweet treats, eating healthier more nutritious snacks keeps me from overeating, helps me more easily maintain my weight, and lastly keeps me from feeling lethargic. About 90% of the time I eat some of these nutritious snacks.

Snacks here are be defined as any form of a salty, sweet, or just fun treat. I don’t necessarily mean snacks to consume in between meals. Some doctors say not to eat anything in between meals, and I try my best not to. But your doctor may have another recommendation, so listen to them.

Here are some delicious, clean snack ideas to make, bake, buy, bring to work, or even eat on the go.

Healthy Snacks to Buy (still not as healthy as whole food options though)

NOTE: Many of these snacks you may be able to purchase at grocery stores such as Woodman’s, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Fresh Thyme Market, or another place. I’m not sure what is available at regular grocery stores, as my husband and I prefer Woodmans’ because of their large quantity of organic and whole food options. But, you can easily order these items on Amazon if you love online grocery options. I do earn a commission off of purchases, but that is at no cost to you. The prices are the same either way.

1. CHOCOLATE

This is my ultimate craving, my most favorite food! And did you know chocolate is actually a vegetable? Of course, that is only when you are eating real cacao – which most chocolate is the fake cocoa kind. My switch to dark chocolate started with only 30-40% dark chocolate, and slowly transitioned to up to 80% dark chocolate. I can now taste the difference between regular and organic. The organic cacao chocolate I eat now is more satisfying to me than any fake chocolate. In addition, there are loads of benefits to eating real chocolate. View: 14 Health Benefits of Eating Dark Chocolate

Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate Bar Variety
I personally love the mint, dark chocolate, and extra dark. This variety pack is a great way to figure out what flavors you will love! You can also buy them individually if you prefer a certain flavor.
View Item

Artisan Kettle Organic No Sugar Added Dark Chocolate Chips These chocolate chips are SUGAR-FREE using stevia as a healthy, natural sweetener. A great way to get your sugar levels down. They taste pretty good for sugar-free chocolate and work especially great in recipes. View Item

2. Chips

Chips without Canola Oil, GMO-FREE, Wheat/Gluten-Free, MSG-Free, and Satisfying! Finding chips not packed full of MSGs, GMO corn or soy, or vegetable oils in general, is rather difficult. Here are some healthier chips that I really love. Keep in mind: they are still packaged snacks so they should be eaten minimally.

Siete Sea Salt Grain Free Tortilla Chips These chips are great plain, but I love to eat them with some healthy guacamole. They taste great with salsa, as well. View Item

Siete Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, Sea Salt What is great about these chips are the simple healthy ingredients: potatoes, avocado oil, sea salt. Whole Foods usually carries them and you can find them on Thrive Market. View Item

3. Nuts

Nuts are super healthy – lots of nutrients, proteins, heart-healthy, etc. I love how satisfying they are when you are really hungry. I was super hungry on a trip one-time, but couldn’t get food right away. Luckily, I had a bag of nuts on me to calm down my hangry symptoms.

View some of the health benefits of nuts along with dry fruit here: GraBHeaL

365 Everyday Value, Organic Cashews  View Item

365 Everyday Value, Organic Almonds View Item

4. Granola

Purely Elizabeth, Granola Vanilla Almond Butter Collagen Grain Free
Oat free – mostly nuts, seeds, and coconut. I love to snack on granola plain or add it to some Greek yogurt. It contains coconut sugar instead of regular sugar, a healthier alternative. View Item

Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola, Certified Gluten-free, Vegan & Non-GMO This one does contain oats along with nuts and seeds. Sugar levels are a bit higher, so you want to be careful to follow the serving size, or consume less in general. View Item

5. Crackers

Absolutely Gluten Free Original Crackers, 4.4 Ounce (Pack of 3) These crackers are gluten-free with no added sugars. I love to eat these with some quality cheese and sometimes some grass-fed pork sausage. View Item

6. Kombucha

Kombucha is a great choice for a flavorful drink to enjoy. It may be a good alternative to fulfill the thirst for juice or soda. Plus, you get lots of healthy probiotics – which we all need! Check out the benefits of prebiotics & probiotics here: GI Society. There are a ton of flavors: lavender, lemonade, cranberry, pomegranate, and more!

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Healthy, Clean Snacks to Bake

6. Cookies

I enjoy baking and making sweet treats and keeping my sugar levels low hasn’t stopped me! With natural sugars and gluten-free flours, I personally can eat the same serving size as before (maybe even indulge more often), and not put on extra weight, or feel lethargic. I’m also very satisfied. Over holidays like Christmas, I’ve noticed maintaining my weight has become so much easier. Almost any cookie recipe I have loved in the past has a gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free option (which I can usually find on Pinterest). Yes, I’m in love with Pinterest. My husband and I make more than half the recipes we cook from Pinterest.

Here are a few of my favorite cookies recipes (also on my Pinterest):

• Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies
• Soft-Baked Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• The Perfect 3-Ingredient Lemon Cookies
• Brownie Cupcakes
• No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)

View The Wellness Resolution PINTEREST

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Healthy, Clean Snacks to Make

7. Chia Pudding

Have you ever made chia pudding? It is a flavorful, easy, healthy snack. Chia pudding is usually made up of dairy-free milk, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Then for flavors, you can do chocolate (cacao), vanilla (vanilla extract), peanut butter, or add any kind of berries you like. Chia seeds are considered a “superfood” due to all their nutritional benefits! View the amazing benefits of chia seeds here: Benefits of Chia Seeds from Mamma Chia

Here are two recipes I love:

• Peanut Butter Cup Chia Seed Pudding
• CHOCOLATE CHIA PUDDING
  
• BLUEBERRY CHIA SEED PUDDING

POPULAR INGREDIENTS:

BetterBody Foods Organic Chia Seeds View Item
BetterBody Foods Organic Cacao Powder, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free Superfood View Item

8. Ice Cream? I’m a big fan!

It is easy to make your own to avoid unnatural ingredients. Plus, you can make dairy-free ice cream recipes too. All you need is a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker! The ice cream maker comes with a few basic recipes: vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and more. Most recipes are super simple. Vanilla ice cream is just mixing milk, sugar, and salt until sugar is dissolved, adding heavy cream and vanilla, put the bowl in the fridge for about two hours, and then add to your frozen ice cream maker and set the timer for 15-20 minutes, and you are done. I enjoy making my own ice cream I find it extra satisfying!

Here are some dairy-free options:

• Paleo Vanilla Ice Cream (AIP | Vegan | Keto)  
• PALEO STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM
• Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream-For-1 🍦🍃🍫 gluten-free, keto & paleo

Cuisinart 1.5 Quart Frozen Yogurt ICE-21P1 Ice Cream Maker View Item

9. Nice-Cream (Dairy-Free)

Familiar with nice-cream? It is fruit-based ice cream that usually uses frozen bananas as the base. Most nice cream recipes are super simple. The only thing is it’s hard to make them without a food processor, and I know this because I’ve tried. Weirdly, they actually do taste like your eating real ice cream.

Here are some nice cream recipes to try:

• Dark Chocolate Nice Cream (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• 2-Ingredient Blueberry Nice Cream
• Banana Coconut Milk Nice Cream Recipe
• PEANUT BUTTER BANANA ICE CREAM (DAIRY-FREE & VEGAN)

Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Stack & Snap Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper View Item

10. Smoothies

I make smoothies a couple of times a week. They are a simple, easy healthy snack to make when using my NutriBullet. Here are a few different combinations of smoothies I make:

• 1 Banana, handful of Strawberries, 1/4 c Greek Yogurt, Kale and Water
• 1 Banana, mixed berries, Spanish, and water
• 1 Handful of Mixed Berries, 1/4 c Greek Yogurt, 1 TBSP Chia Seeds, Drizzle of Honey and Water
• 1 Banana, 4-5 Pineapple pieces, 1/4 c Greek Yogurt, and water

Directions: I just add all the ingredients in and add enough water to cover the ingredients, blend and it’s ready to drink!

For some great health benefits, how about this Hormone Balancing Green Smoothie.

NutriBullet This is a great item for not only making smoothies, but making sauces, home-made guacamole, or salad dressings. It is a quick machine, easy to use, and easy to clean up. View Item

11. Apples or Celery with Nut Butter

12. Veggies (peppers, carrots, tomatoes) with Hummus

13. Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pink Salt

Natierra Himalania Himalayan Fine Pink Salt Shaker
This salt is actually really good for you, if not over consumed. Pink Himalayan salt has more beneficial minerals and cleaner ingredients than both table salt and sea salt. It is healthier for you and tastes excellent too! View Item

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How Food Affects Your Long-Term Health

If you have read my blog on the dangers of over-consuming sugar (which most Americans do eat more than the recommended amounts), the overconsumption of processed carbohydrates, the dangers of GMOs, the problems with too much milk and unhealthy dairy, and my huge all-comprehensive article on eating real food, you hopefully understand that there are long-term reasons for eating very healthy.

We are tricked and often deceived into thinking certain things are super healthy for us when sometimes they are quite the opposite. We can’t trust nutritional guidelines, commercials, marketing/labels, and even the government to give us healthy facts. Options are to do a ton of research, work with a certified clinical nutritionist, or find people like me who have already done a lot of the work for you.

Just a reminder: it doesn’t matter if you are tone, strong, or at the perfect weight with a high metabolism. If you eat a lot of sugar, processed carbohydrates, and other unhealthy foods, your likelihood of becoming chronically sick is higher!

Snack wisely!

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