by Sophie Coolbaugh

Created on: July 11, 2008   Last Updated: July 16, 2008

We've all heard the old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" and it is true, if your aim is good enough! Apples are indeed healthy and nice to snack on but while portable if you have a vehicle or large purse, they are bulky to carry around. Short of carrot sticks and rather boring assorted vegetables, what are the alternatives to fruit for a healthy snack on the go? I am mom-in-chief to a family of 4 outdoor types so this is a question I have indeed spent time trying to answer, and here are what makes my & my kids top 10:

1. Cheese!
Yes, cheese: high in calcium and proteins, and you can find low-fat versions. Great portability (available in individual portions), and many varieties available.
2. Dried Fruit
Dried means no juice, so no mess at the bottom of bags or in pockets. Firm favorites are apricots and raisins, both available in individually packaged single portions. Beware of the 'apetizer' versions: colorful but full of added sugar. I stick to 100%fruit for my tribe: the dried fruit is already very sweet, full of natural sugar that is good for an energy boost.
3. Fruit paste bars
They look like candy bars in their individual wrappers, but are made of 100% dried fruit - with nothing added. Even more practical to carry around than dried fruit, but a bit more expensive.
4. Nuts
Nuts are great - they taste fantastic, bring you proteins and sugars, and come in handy individually wrapped portions too. Beware salt content though: choose no added salt or sugars for a truly healthy pick-me-up.
5. Beef Jerky
If you need a boost of proteins. beef jerky is a great source. It tastes great, is easy to carry around and quite healthy too providing you stick to the varieties with less additives.
6. Smoothies
Fresh fruit goodness, in a handy bottle or cup - perfect for a blast of vitamins.
7. Yogurt Drinks
Low sugar versions will bring you calcium and proteins galore, in a handy bottle.
8. Granola bars
Whether home-made or store bought granola bars are a relatively low sugar & fat version of handy candy bars: they look like candy bars, nice ones taste as good or better than candy bars, and they're virtually guilt-free. If store-bought do check the ingredients list - if sugars are way up top of the list, steer clear as it's a candy bar disguised as a healthy snack!
9. Slow burning carbs
Carbs aren't evil - it's just a matter of choosing the ones that fit with your level of activity. Always go for the lowest available level of processing for maximum benefit: wholemeal bread versus white bread, wholegrain cereals, brown rice versus white rice etc. For handy energy boosts that are virtually fat-free, think wholemeal rolls and bagels.
10. Energy drinks
I list these as last in my top 10: readily available and practical, they only are truly suitable in the middle of a sustained effort... as in "marathon" run, not "sales at the mall"!

Even if you are not a health nut need to pay attention to what goes into your body: it works better on high performance fuel, and you'll get better mileage too in the long run! The more active you are the more you need quality nutrients:

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