I've convinced myself that I embody clean eating. Each day I devour snacks marketed as "healthy;" one, for the sake of feeling good about myself and two, for the awesome, enjoyable taste. Snacks such as veggie straws, popcorn, gluten-free bites, sugar-free treats, fat-free friends, trail mixes, nuts, or anything low in calories are marketed as "healthy" snacks. These "good for you" snacks can easily become unhealthy as a result of how delicious they taste and addictive they become. While eating these snacks, portion control will 100% fail you. As it does, you will realize that the amount of "healthy" snacks you overconsume is equivalent to any regular portion size of a bag of potato chips, order of fries, or bag of candy.
Here is the definitive list of the best "healthy" snacks from simply tasty to absolutely addictive.
1. Trail Mix
Trail mix or GORP is one of the most classic "healthy" snacks. Those good ol' raisins and peanuts staple every hike, canoe trip, or outdoor trip. This snack contains a mixture of good-for-you fats and proteins from the nuts and sweet flavors from the raisins and chocolate. However, I am not consuming a single nut or raisin while eating trail mix. Instead, this mixture allows me to excuse my poor diet habits as I pick out all of the chocolate bits and leave the rest for whoever else wants the actual healthy stuff. In the process, even though I claim to be eating "trail mix," I am truly just eating a bag of M&M's and chocolate chips. Once I'm done with a bag of GORP, trust me, there will be no chocolate left.
2. Granola anything
Granola is dangerously tasty. If a bag is open in front of me, I will devour the crumbles of these oats and say screw it to the suggested 2/3 of a cup serving size, which in my eyes could satisfy a guinea pig. I basically eat my body mass in granola, so I don't know if I can classify granola as "healthy" for me.
3. Harvest Snaps
These chips taste like fried vegetables and resemble snow peas. Thus, once the entire bag is gone, you feel great about yourself for "eating your greens." The lightly salted flavor is delicious, and I can easily down a bag in a few minutes. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to try every flavor of Harvest Snaps, but that's definitely on my bucket list.
4. Gluten-Free Pretzels
When people hear the words "gluten-free," they convince themselves the snack is 2x healthier than the original. I do this all too often and continue to excuse my snacking behaviors as I inhale anything gluten-free, especially these bad boys pictured above. Gluten-Free Pretzels crunch way harder than regular pretzels, taste great with dip, and feel super light on the tummy. Call yourself healthy and buy a bag of these, but don't be surprised when you finish them way too fast.
5. Halo Top Ice Cream
THIS ICE CREAM IS AMAZING and highly addictive. While low in calories and high in protein, no one eats only a serving of this ice cream alternative, especially since it tastes like the real deal. The aluminum peel back under the cap motivates you to eat more with inspirational statements such as, "Ready, set, spoon." Okay, Halo Top, don't mind if I do! Listen to the cap, my friend, and finish the pint.
6. Skinny Pop/Boom Chicka Pop
Popcorn happens to be a very smart choice when trying to eat clean. Skinny Pop and Boom Chicka Pop come in at under 40 calories per cup. This yummy popcorn feels like you're eating air and tastes so good. However, once I eat the whole Costco-size bag by myself, I'm no longer that skinny. "Skinny" pop does not mean it makes you thinner, so don't make that mistake. You still need to portion control this snack.
7. Veggie Straws
It's a Thursday night, you come home from Rick's, and instead of ordering Cottage Inn, you decide, "Hey, I'm going to be good and 'drunch' in healthy way." You hobble up the stairs, find an unopened twenty-ounce bag of veggie straws (which you Amazon Primed to yourself earlier that day), and consume the entire bag. At this point, you realize a slice of pizza would've been healthier than the 13,000 calories you just consumed in veggie straws. Even though this food has the word "veggie" in its name, that does not mean it's a real vegetable; in fact, they might as well be potato chips at this point. You look at your salt swollen face only to realize your portion control is non-existent, and you are not the healthy goddess you claim to be.
Okay, so maybe if I ate these snacks correctly. I could be healthy. I blame my lack of portion control, my weird crush on veggie straws, and my ridiculous sweet tooth (sorry trail mix) for turning these "healthy" snacks into not so healthy snacks
If you're trying to be actually healthy, stick to your fruits and veggies. If you wanna be "healthy" like me, which is more fun in my opinion, enjoy these awesome snacks, guilt free, while attempting to stick to the correct portion sizes. However, prepare yourself; you won't stop eating once you start.