Recently I read a report on 2013 food trends. Not only did it mention meatless meals and veganism, it reported that mini-meals and snacking were on the rise. Below is a post I wrote in 2011 — offering readers 12 healthy, vegan snacks. Check it out, and remember to always keep a healthy snack at the ready. Enjoy!
Recently I read a blog post about nine quick and healthy snacks to keep you going until dinner. Animal products made up five of the nine snacks. Not too healthy in my book.
My definition of healthy may be narrower than the average consumer, but it is based on science.* I came up with 12 vegan snacks (not nine but 12 because I love you.) to keep you going anytime of day. All are plant-based, whole foods and simple.
12 Healthy Vegan Snacks
- Raw nuts and seeds: Just a handful.
- Piece of fresh fruit. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Better yet, switch it up. Variety is the spice of life.
- Sliced apple with peanut butter: Make sure the PB is just peanuts and preferably organic.**
- Raw veggies and humus.
- Whole grain crackers with peanut butter or humus.
- Dried fruit
- Smoothie: Make it green for an extra nutritional punch.
- Homemade trail mix: Again, just a handful.
- Half of a peanut butter & banana sandwich. (Try other nut butters such as almond too.)
- Air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast***
- Toast (whole grain) with Mexican butter, aka avocado.
- Edamame
*Good news! Science supports a compassionate diet. Not only is a vegan diet good for you, it’s also good for the planet and all the creatures that live here. Get the facts on healthy vegan diets from the experts:
- Neal Barnard, M.D.
- T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
- Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D.
- Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
- Michael Greger, M.D.
- Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., C.P.T.
- McDougall, M.D.
- Ginny Messina, R.D.
- Jack Norris, R.D.
- Jeff Novick, M.S., R.D., L.D., L.N.
**See this post for information on my favorite, all-natural peanut butter.
***What the Heck is Nutritional Yeast? from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.
Your helpful tips are great. I used to be completely vegan, but started eating dairy again a few years ago. I just watched the PETA video- Factory Farming in 60 Seconds that you mentioned, and it horrified me. Seeing the barrage of shocking images and hearing the sounds was almost beyond belief, even though I am well educated about factory farms. But I have been selectively “deaf” regarding the plight of dairy cows and their calves due to my craving for ice cream and sweets. The video was a shock to my mind, heart and soul, and I cannot in good conscious eat any animal products ever again.
Hi Cathy,
I like the term “selectively deaf”. I think it’s quite common and similar to “ignorance is bliss”. There are a lot of vegan alternatives for ice cream these days (and other sweets). Do you have a Whole Foods near you? If you do, check out their non-dairy ice creams. You might be surprised by how many options they are. The non-dairy ice cream market has exploded over the past few years. If you don’t have a WF close by, maybe there is a natural foods store? They could order you some, or ask your supermarket to carry non-dairy alternatives. So Delicious is a great brand.
Ice cream use to be one of my favorite treats. I don’t miss it at all. One of my favorite sweet treats is banana ice cream. Click on this link for the recipe: http://www.itseasybeingvegan.com/2010/09/03/banana-peanut-butter-chocolate-ice-cream/.
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your honesty.
Christine
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