Is It OK to Eat Trail Mix Every Day? Moderation and variety are standard for building a healthy and sustainable way of eating, but if you just canât stay away, from the delicious mix youâve selected, be sure to make it part of a balanced day of meals and snacks.
The nuts and seeds found in trail mix are rich in heart-healthy fats, including poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids ( 4 ). Studies show that unsaturated fats could decrease high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, a risk factor for heart disease ( 5 ).
For those with a nut allergy, seeds and pepitas can serve as substitutes for a nut base in your trail mix. If youâre watching your macros or overall calorie intake, keep an eye on the variety of ingredients you choose, how much you eat at once and how frequently you add trail mix into your meal plan. Is It OK to Eat Trail Mix Every Day?
Here are a few health-minded tips make your trail mix shopping a breeze: Look for unsalted nuts to keep the sodium down. For the carb-conscious, be aware of added sugar in some types of dried fruit and/or additions like candy-coated chocolate. Add dried edamame or chickpeas for nutritious, savory flavor.
Why is trail mix good for you?
Itâs an excellent choice if youâre traveling, hiking, or going on a road trip because it provides good energy and is compact and easy to enjoy.
Trail mix is a snack mix that was originally developed as a portable and convenient snack for hikers. Although the ingredients can vary, most varieties include granola, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Some types also contain popcorn, cereal, candy, or chocolate chips, along with spices and seasonings like sea salt, garlic powder, thyme, cinnamon, …
Therefore, itâs important to keep your portion sizes in check to avoid overeating and prevent weight gain. summary. Some types of trail mix may be high in added sugar and sodium. Trail mix also contains many calorie-dense ingredients, so controlling your portion sizes is important.
Certain varieties of trail mix may also include sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.
Not all types of trail mix are considered equal in terms of nutrition.
Be sure to avoid trail mix varieties with high amounts of added sugar or sodium, and choose products with healthy, high quality ingredients. Finally, be sure to monitor your portion sizes.
Making your own trail mix at home can also allow you to control its contents and maximize its potential health benefits.
What are the nutrients in trail mix?
The good nutrition in trail mix comes primarily from the nuts and dried fruit. While add-ins, from yogurt-coated raisins to wasabi peas, can be delicious, they displace the healthiest ingredients and donât add many valuable nutrients themselves. Take yogurt-covered raisins.
Added sugars go by many namesâcane sugar, corn syrup, honey, agave syrup, and maple syrup are a few examples. Ideally, choose a trail mix that doesnât have any added sugars.
Thrive Market Paleo Snack Mix Chipotle BBQ has 210 mg sodium per 1â3 cup serving. Adults should get less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, so one serving of this provides about 9 percent.
Added sugars in trail mix can also sneak up on you. Companies wonât be required to list the amount of added sugars on food labels until the year 2020, and it can be difficult to tell the difference between sugars that come from dried fruit and sugars that have been added. There is a difference, nutrition-wise, howeverânaturally occurring sugars …
As companies have begun blending trail mixâs traditional nutrient-dense ingredients with more add-ins and flavors, people may think theyâre getting a snack thatâs both healthy and indulgent. And they can be both if you choose carefully.
As for chocolate, modest quantities of dark and even milk chocolate may have some health benefitsâso itâs okay to choose a trail mix that contains a small amount. The calories in one serving of chocolate-containing trail mix may even be roughly the same as one without chocolate, because nuts and chocolate have about the same number …