When it comes to finding healthy snacks for the holidays and for special occasions, the world forgives you if you have been a little lax. With work commitments, family life, a social status to maintain and a hundred other things on your to-do list; you are forgiven. However, learning to snack on healthy foods instead of fatty, sugary ones is a small dietary change that will do wonders for your well-being. So follow some of our advice and start living a better life.
The snacking misconception
As a society, we tend to be told that snack food is bad for us and this simply isn’t true. Snack food can be a healthy, between-meals way to get more vitamins and minerals into our diets and vitamins and minerals are the things that keep our bodies running smoothly. The trouble with snacking is not the process itself, but rather what we choose to snack on. If you insist on eating crisps, cake, and biscuits, the chances are you’re snacking unhealthily. Switch those snack foods to healthy substitutes, however, and you could be on to a winner.
Snacking doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Switch out those crisps for some dried nuts or trail mix, change the candy to sticky dried fruits like prunes and turn your cakes into flapjacks for snacks that will boost your energy levels and contain much healthier forms of fat.
Snacking on Holidays and Special Occasions
Thanksgiving
You can continue this healthy snack mantra right into celebrations. Thanksgiving, for example, already has a few elements of healthy foods that you can extrapolate and build upon. Traditionally a turkey stuffing might be a chestnut blend and we would eat that turkey and stuffing with cranberry sauce – another very healthy fruit. Chestnuts are very low calorie for a nut, contain higher amounts of vitamins than most nuts and can be made an example of for Thanksgiving Dinner.
What could be more ‘Holidays’ than Chestnuts roasting on the fire? Or in the oven, if you are so inclined. They taste great and are packed with Vitamin C, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium… so make a healthy holiday snack point of roasting some chestnuts with the kids this year. Just try not to add any extra flavoring if you can help it.
Cranberries are a super-berry. They have little to no calorific content, contain tonnes of Vitamins and give any meal a tart flavor that the kids love. Instead of leaving bowls of candy out around the house at Thanksgiving – or even Halloween – time, leave bowls of cranberries for a healthy holiday snacking twist!
Summer Holidays!
Summer Holidays are easy because most things can be turned into ice pops! Buy yourself a mold if you want to engage the kids in some healthy and creative summer snack food. Packing nuts and dried fruit into that picnic basket won’t go amiss, either. Trail mix was invented for being on the trail, so make sure you have some on you, wherever you go!
To make your perfect Popsicles, blend together raisins, dried berries that are antioxidant-rich, a little water and some natural yogurt – then freeze for a healthy holiday snack. You can change up the recipe however you want to, as long as you keep the yogurt in there. Use different berries for different colored ice pops and share the fun with the kids! Perfect summer fun that the whole family can enjoy – and that leads to healthy snacks all round!
Halloween!
To trick the kids into eating healthier snack food at Halloween is actually pretty simple! Raisins look like dead flies while plain popcorn looks like loose teeth! All it takes is a little imagination…However, our favorite Halloween recipe is for substituting the toffee on a candy apple with Cashew butter. Cashews are amazing, containing nearly 40% of the recommended daily allowance of Protein per hundred grams. Grind them to paste and add a little walnut oil then smear your apples in it!
Christmas Time!
Dried Fruit!
Dried Fruit can be a lavish and luxurious way to celebrate Christmas time. Added to the Christmas cake especially! What we would suggest is that you tone down the sugary desserts and replace them with dried fruit mixes, natural yogurt, and more natural foods. The more natural, the better! If you want some sweetness for that healthy holiday snack then a drizzle of honey not only adds flavor but also rings with the luxury of the season. Just use it wisely and add a half pinch of cinnamon if you really want to spice it up!
Mixed nuts are a great and healthy alternative to leaving bowls of crisps around on those days where the family is all gathered. With fewer calories than a cheeseboard and more nutritional value than your average bag of potato chips, mixed nuts are a great way to mix it up and snack healthy on any occasion… You can even buy them in pocket-sized packs nowadays, so there’s really no reason not to.
Nuts will give you a great daily boost of Potassium, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamins B3 & 6, sodium and dietary fiber – contrary to popular belief. So eat up those nuts in between meals on a daily basis for best results.
Of course, when it comes to special occasions you want a special kind of nut to go with them! If that is the case and you are searching desperately for a healthy snack that goes the extra mile to be special; then head on over to L’Orenta’s Nuts. L’Orenta’s provide only the best in fine quality, natural and healthy snack foods that won’t make you feel guilty. Their gourmet selection is ideal for any holiday or special occasion and the mixes are to die for. Shop now, and first-time customers can even spin to win a discount!
Get your nut fix every day… but if you want to make it special, better make it L’Orenta’s Nuts.
