It's human nature to crave crunchy, crispy, sweet, and salty snacks — often all at the same time. But how you feel after spending an hour elbow deep in a potato chip bag isn't always as happy as you feel while eating. Whip up these healthy trail mix recipes, and you’ll have plenty of options for mindful snacking the next time you’re jonesing for junk.
Why Trail Mix Is the Better Choice
There’s nothing wrong with occasionally snagging a treat from the grocery store checkout display, but healthy trail mix is a better option. Here are a few reasons why:
- Variety: Junk food has a singular, unchanging flavor profile. There's a certain sameness to a bag of chips; the first bite tastes the same as the last. Trail mix is a party in a package, bursting with a blend of protein, healthy fats, fiber, crunch, and salty and sweet components.
- Protein: Speaking of snacks packed with protein, adults typically need around 46-56 grams per day (more if you’re an athlete, pregnant, or breastfeeding). You can't get much protein from a bag of gummy bears, but you can pack trail mix with protein, courtesy of nuts, seeds, and crunchy chickpeas or lentils.
- Healthy fats: Your body needs healthy fats for everything, from energy storage to hormone production. Some nutrients are fat-soluble too, which means you need to consume them with fat for proper absorption. Trail mix containing nuts, seeds, and legumes helps you get plenty of omega-6 and monounsaturated fats. These are typically viewed as more desirable than the saturated and trans fats dripping off your cheeseburger and french fries.
- Fights sugar cravings: Trail mix can help you tamp down sugar cravings, thanks to naturally sweet and filling ingredients. Play around with dried fruit, dark chocolate, chia seeds, and nuts.
- Portability: A snack created for hikers is practically guaranteed to work well for all kinds of on-the-go snacking. Tuck trail mix into your gym bag, backpack, purse, briefcase, desk drawers, and glove compartment.
Think of trail mix as the next step in your snack evolution. You don’t have to leave chocolate bars in the dust, but you may find you're happier with your colorful bag of goodies.
Trail Mix That Tastes Like a Candy Bar
If you’re searching for healthy snacks that satisfy sugar cravings, consider creating a DIY trail mix with the elements of your favorite candy bar. The final combination is totally up to you, but these inspired suggestions can be used as a tasty starting point.
- Pretzels, caramel chips, peanuts, and chewy granola clusters
- Almonds, candy-coated chocolate drops, and crispy corn cereal
- Coconut, toasted almonds, chocolate chips, and dried, tart cherries
- Crispy rice clusters, white chocolate chips, and marshmallows
Spicy and Crunchy Chip-Inspired Mix
Spicy foods cause your body to release natural mood-boosting hormones called endorphins. A little spice in your trail mix could help you feel happier, experience pain relief and feel more satisfied with your choice of snack.
One of the easiest ways to add spice to your trail mix is to roast your favorite nuts dusted in cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt. You can also swap out the cumin for cinnamon for a spicy-meets-sweet twist.
For a nosh-worthy spicy and crunchy trail mix, play around with these combos:
- Curry-spiced nuts, roasted chickpeas, unsweetened toasted coconut, and raisins
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), popcorn, dried mango, and tajin (spice blend containing dried chili peppers, lime, and salt)
- Brown rice crackers, wasabi peas, crunchy seaweed snacks, and sesame sticks
- Roasted edamame, crystallized ginger, coconut flakes, Thai chili peanuts, and rice crackers
Sweet and Salty Inspired Mix
Continue your pursuit of healthy snacks for sweet cravings with trail mix options that combine natural sugars (and a few chocolatey enhancements) with salty snacks.
- Freeze-dried strawberries, dark chocolate chips, puffed quinoa, and salted almonds
- Banana chips, cinnamon-dusted cashews, chocolate chips, dried blueberries, and popcorn
- Oat cereal, dried cranberries, honey-roasted cashews, and marshmallows
- Candy-coated peanut butter drops, pretzel sticks, and dried blueberries
- Dried apples, peanut butter chips, cinnamon-vanilla flaxseed clusters, and salted cashews
Tips on Reducing Sugar and Sodium
Good-for-you snacks can be delicious, too. You can reduce sugar and sodium in your diet and still enjoy nutritious snacks by opting for healthy trail mix made with carefully chosen ingredients.
- Dark chocolate: Swap semisweet chocolate chips for dark chocolate with a cacao percentage of at least 70%, and the sugar count could drop as much as 25 grams per 100-gram serving.
- Unsweetened dried fruit: When fruit is dried, its sugars and juices concentrate, making for a naturally sweet product that doesn’t need added sugars. If you’re using dried fruit and chocolate or other sweet additions, use a higher proportion of fruit and a sprinkle of the chocolate.
- Spiced nuts: Spiced nuts add flavor with only a dash of salt. Choosing dry-spiced nuts over glazed nuts also lowers the total sugar count in your homemade trail mix.
- Plain cereal: If you’re adding cereal to your trail mix, beware of popular brands packed with added sugar. Choose low-sugar options instead, and add a moderate amount of sweetness via other ingredients, like figs and coconut.
- Low-sodium chips and crackers: Buy low-sodium crispy and crunchy ingredients over full-sodium versions that could become overwhelming once combined.
- Herbs and spices: Salt is a flavor activator and a necessary electrolyte. But for anyone watching their sodium intake, it’s easy to lower salt content when you’re replacing it with other seasonings. Get creative — everything from basil and oregano to Cajun seasoning and taco packets can help put some pep in your trail mix.
Making healthy trail mix is fun, but there isn’t always time to season, roast, mix, and portion everything. Nature’s Garden trail mixes let you bring home trail mix bags brimming with everything from high-energy snack blends to heart-healthy combinations.
