August 31 is National Trail Mix day – a day designed to celebrate the miracle snack you eat to build up nutrients on hikes or satisfy a road trip craving. It’s typically packed with nuts — great for protein; and dried fruits — great for carbs and energy.
But oftentimes, the store-bought trail mix can be filled with added sugars that don’t give your body the nutrients you need.
With that, we wanted to give you our recipe for DIY Trail Mix.
Nuts
Start with the nuts. You really can’t go wrong with nuts, whether they’re almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, or walnuts. Just be sure to purchase nuts that are unsalted, and unroasted.
Dried fruit
There’s typically a lot of sugar in fruit — but it’s naturally made that way. This helps boost low blood sugar levels for an added bit of carbohydrates. Our advice: find sun-dried fruit that is added-sugar-free. Some of our favorites are dried banana chips, dried cranberries, raisins, dried coconut, or dried pineapple.
Seeds
We love seeds! Seeds are packed with fiber, healthy monosaturated fats, plus antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They’ve been shown to help reduce cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. So go ahead, toss in a handful! Of course, be sure to add only raw, unsalted seeds. Some of our favorites include pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Extras
Try to throw in a little fun for some added flavor and nutrients! Some popular add-ins include pretzels, peanut butter chips, or even chocolate chunks (much better than chocolate chips as they’re less likely to melt).
What’s your favorite mix-in to add to a trail mix? Let us know! And happy #NationalTrailMix day!
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