First of all…let me apologize to my readers for the recent lapse in blog posts…I’ve been having a beyond crazy week.  Between starting my masters in nutrition (woohoo!) and getting ready to leave on vacation to Italy (leaving tonight and couldn’t be any more pumped!!!) the blogging has gone a bit to the wayside.

When life gets a little crazy, sometimes it can be hard to grab a full meal.  Suddenly, you get to 4 pm and your stomach is screaming “FEED ME NOW!!”  It’s moments like these when a good snack can make a huge difference.  So what constitutes a good snack?  The best snacks to hold you over are a mix of fiber and protein.  Some great snack ideas are:

• greek yogurt with blueberries (or any kind of berries)
• apple with spoonful of peanut butter (peanut butter is fattening so try to keep it at one or two spoonfuls)
• carrots with hummus or black bean dip
• whole grain wheat toast or 1/2 whole wheat english muffin with hummus or nut butter
• a hardboiled egg
• nonfat/lowfat cottage cheese with fruit
• a handful of nuts or trail mix (JUST A HANDFUL! )

Now I know what you’re saying…”Yea right!  Like I keep that stuff around when I’m rushing!” Well…let me let you in on a little secret — being healthy is all about being PREPARED.  Prepared for instances when life gets crazy and there is not a healthy snack in sight.  When I’m running around I make sure to at least pack an apple or a banana — they take up very little room and eating that is much better than desperately resorting to an oatmeal raisin cookie at Starbucks (hello 390 unnecessary calories!).  Being prepared isn’t about obsessing about where you’ll get your next meal or snack — it’s about giving yourself more options to be healthy!

At this point I’d also like to take a moment to address energy bars.  If given a choice between a granola bar, and a low-fat yogurt, I always, always, always go for the yogurt.  Most energy bars are not that much different than candy bars — except with more added protein perhaps.  There isn’t so much of a difference in taste between a chocolate-covered powerbar and a snickers.  No one ever got fat from eating too many carrots, but there are definitely people who got fat from too many granola bars.  If you must get your fix of granola bars, or if there simply aren’t better options available..try your best to stick to granola bars made from natural ingredients: KIND bars, Lara bars, Luna bars are all good options and do not have insanely high sugar counts (high sugar makes your blood sugar spike and then crash later…not exactly good for keeping your energy levels stable!).

That’s it for now…keep yourselves posted for some exciting blogging about staying fit and healthy on vacation from la bella ITALIA!