3 Must Look for Things in a Healthy Store Bought Snack?

This blog post was sponsored by Eaton Hemp

Are you ever looking to purchase a quick on-the-go snack option? But have NO idea which ones are actually healthy?!

I totally get it! In all honesty, these days it can feel near impossible to know which products are actually good for you and which ones are sneakily loaded with not-so-great ingredients!

Snacks can be SO great in helping to keep your blood sugars balanced (we’ll get to talking more about this), provide you energy for the tasks at hand throughout the day, and can also be another opportunity to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to thrive! If you struggle with anxiety, and often find yourself out and about, looking for healthy store bought snacks are a must!

This is why I’m SO excited to be breaking down 3 must look for things in a healthy snack when you’re purchasing from the store!

What to Look Out for When Purchasing Healthy Snacks?

#1: Ensure your Snacks are Organic:

In choosing to purchase organic snacks you’re immediately avoiding any chemical based pesticides or GMO’s. This is a huge first step in minimizing the toxic load within your diet!

Not only are pesticides inflammatory for your body, they can also negatively impact your gut health, hormones, and even mental health – contributing to anxiety (1). The best way to find organic snacks is to look for the organic certification label that will be on the front of the packaged item you’re buying. If it doesn’t say it’s organic – there’s a very high chance it’s laden with pesticides and/ or herbicides!

I also love focusing on organic snacks because it helps narrow down some of the many many choices of snack products we have to pick from – which at times can be over whelming! Looking for organic products is a simple way to help decipher which products are truly more supportive for our health, the planets’ health, and even farmers‘ health! (2)

Lastly, I tend to find that the majority of organic snacks have cleaner ingredients than their non organic counterparts. This is of course not a rule of thumb for all snacks when comparing conventional to organic, however I do find it more often the case than not. Regardless, it’s always important to read ingredient labels – which brings us to point number 2…

#2: Ensure your Snacks are Made with Real Whole Food Ingredients:

This is such an important consideration when it comes to purchasing snacks! You want to do your absolute best to ensure the snacks you are purchasing are made with real whole food ingredients as opposed to processed ones such as poor quality oils (ex. canola), refined sugars, and all sorts of different additives and/ or binders.

Great examples of real whole food ingredients to look out for when purchasing healthy store bought snacks (but of course, aren’t limited to) include:

  • Dates
  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Hemp hearts
  • Cacao or dark chocolate
  • Dried or fresh fruit
  • Oats

The best (and only) way to tell if a product is made from whole food ingredients when purchasing packaged snacks from the store is to READ the ingredient labels! If there are ingredients you don’t know what they are – be sure to google them and figure out if it’s a nasty additive or just a wildly health food you’ve never heard of 😉

#3: Ensure your Snacks Contain Protein and/ or Healthy Fats:

Making sure the snacks you are buying contain either some nourishing protein sources or healthy fats is very important when it comes to keeping blood sugars balanced – which in turn can help keep anxiety levels at bay!

For those who aren’t aware, blood sugar balance is a critical consideration when it comes to nutrition! Keeping your blood sugars at a stable level helps to keep your energy up, your hormones stabilized, and your anxiety in check as it avoids cortisol (our main stress hormone) spikes & crashes! Not only this, but it also helps to avoid the energy roller coaster of highs and lows which often leads to cravings for caffeine, sugar, or other ultra processed foods.

One of the best ways to keep blood sugars balanced is to include organic whole food snacks that contain proteins and/ or healthy fats along with complex carbohydrates. The carbohydrates help to provide quick energy where as the proteins and fats help to keep those blood sugars stabilized!

So, What Snacks Can You Buy from the Store That Have All 3 Things Listed Above?

When it comes to purchasing healthy snacks that contain ALL 3 things I’ve mentioned above – my top recommendation is: ‘Eaton Hemp’s Organic Super Food Bites!’

Eaton’s Super Food Bites are raw, organic, made of real whole food ingredients, and are finished off by being rolled into their organic hemp hearts for an extra boost of protein and healthy fats!

They’re the perfect snack to grab on the go – and will leave you feeling incredibly nourished and energized (they really do for me)! They’re the exact snack you want to have with you at *all times* just in case, to help you avoid getting h-angry or h-anxious 🙂

Potentially the best thing about the Super Food Bites is that there are 4 delicious flavours, so you can mix it up depending on what you’re in the mood for! I’ve got to say my favourite are the ‘Peanut Butter Chip’ however each flavour is unique and delicious – and perfect for different times throughout the day!

If you’re wanting to give Eaton Hemp’s Super Food Bites a try to see for yourself just how good they taste – and make you feel – you can purchase directly through their website here or on Amazon! And lastly – I could not be more stoked to share, that you can use the code ‘MEG20’ to get 20% off your order!

I can’t wait for you to try and let me know what you think!

Wishing you happy, healthy snacking! xo

Sources:

  1. https://zachbushmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Glyphosate-Article-for-Holistic-Primary-Care-3-21-16.pdf
  2. https://www.greenandgrowing.org/organic-farming-benefits-health-environment/
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