MC2Charlotte

A common request I get in clinic: ideas for healthy snacks.

Many families are getting rid of food coloring – yay!!!! 

Why? How does this help?

It improves the following:

• Attention
• Focus
• Hyperactivity
• Memory
• Concentration
• Allergies
• Asthma
• To name a few

Others are going gluten free.

What’s the deal with this? Does this matter when there is no official diagnosis of Celiac Disease? 

Though the medical evidence for gluten and antibodies focuses on Celiac Disease, many who have chosen to try a gluten free diet have noted significant improvement in the following: (3 week minimum elimination period to see effects) 

• Bloating
• Acne
• Attention and focus
• Headaches
• Functional abdominal pain
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Keratosis pilaris
• Eczema
• Asthma and allergies
• Weight management
• To name a few

And thankfully many more folks are reducing and eliminating added sugar from their diet.

How does sugar reduction/elimination from the diet help?

It can resolve the following:

• Acne
• Headaches
• Chronic fatigue
• Abdominal pain
• Attention and focus
• Sleep issues
• Weight problems
• Cravings
• To name a few key ones

So let’s talk snack ideas that are helpful on vacation and at home.  To make things more interesting, I am focusing on our travel snack habits.  Currently, I am on vacation in Australia for a month with my husband and 3 kids.  The grocery stores here have a variety of foods, but most of the packaged foods are not familiar to us.  Here are some ways we made things work on the other side of the world.

Of note, I don’t cook dinner on Vacay.  I use a combination of the following snacks as dinner for the kids or entire family.

1. Guacamole and Chips 

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados
• 1/2 lime juice
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp shallot (I didn’t want an entire onion)
• 6 grape tomatoes diced
• Freeze dried cilantro (I can travel with it and keep it longer)

Mix it all together, serve with corn chips

2. Charcuterie Platter

Ingredients:

• Turkey
• Prosciutto
• Nitrite free preserve free salami
• Red peppers
• Green Australian olives
• Grape tomatoes

3. Sliced Apples with Nut Butter

4. Hummus Tray

Ingredients:

• Hummus
• Red peppers
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Snap peas
• Side of salt and pepper pistachios

5. Hard boiled eggs – learning from the Europeans

Cooking instructions:

• Bring water to boil
• Boil eggs 9 min
• Rinse in cold water
• Peel
• Let them cool and slice
• Add fruit

6. Yogurt Parfait:

Ingredients:

• Organic vanilla whole fat yogurt
• gluten free Muesli with nuts and berries
• Fresh berries

7. PBJ – an underutilized American classic

This is where gluten free is out the window for us.  However, a PBJ in a backpack while exploring cuts down on the wants for fries, ice cream, chicken nuggets, and other garbage foods.

8. Fruit, Protein, Grains Tray

Ingredients:

• Sliced apples
• Sliced oranges
• Babybel cheese
• Organic gluten free cliff bars (from home)

9. Oatmeal Goodness

Ingredients:

• Rolled Oats cooked with milk of your choosing according to package directions
• Honey to taste
• Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste
• Blueberries
• Almonds
• Raisins
• Dried cranberries

10. Protein and Antioxidant Extravaganza

Ingredients:

• Salt and pepper pistachios
• Blueberries

11. Natural Sugar Tray of Goodness

Ingredients:

• Sliced bananas
• Washed strawberries
• Washed grapes
• Cut up melon
• Washed and cut up fruit on a counter or a table where kids are playing games will disappear within minutes.  Fruits cut up and left in containers in the fridge will mold.

In case you are wondering:
Strawberry jelly, vanilla yogurt, and honey have sugar.  The body can process 18gms of added sugar a day with no problem.  This is where portion control comes in.  Also, when a sugary food is combined with fiber and protein, it is digested differently and more efficiently.

Lastly, don’t assume that kids will only eat crackers and cookies and pizza.  Make the above snacks the only choices and observe what happens.

In good health, Ana-Maria Temple, MD

Photo Credit: http://www.lipstiq.com