10 Simple, Healthy Snacks to Bring to the Beach This Summer
For most of us, it can be tricky to stick to a healthy diet during the summer months. We typically spend less time at home and the easiest snacks to bring along when at the beach, pool or park tend to come in packages and lack nutrition. Or, maybe you skip packing snacks all together and end up buying them when you are out. It happens, but it doesn’t need to be the norm! With a small amount of pre-planning, it is easy to maintain your healthy eating habits when on the go! Below are 10 of my favourite snacks to take along when I plan to spend the day at the beach with my family.
1. Veggies and Hummus
I always have a container of cut veggies (carrots, cucumbers, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and snap peas) in my fridge for my family to snack on, which makes it easy to grab for a healthy snack at the beach. If washing and chopping veggies is not in your wheelhouse, the produce section of most grocery stores has pre-cut and washed veggies. Pair these with some hummus (Costco sells the small individual containers which are great for the beach) or your favorite dip for a simple snack on the go.
2. Fresh fruit
You can never go wrong with fresh fruit, especially with the options available in the summer. Watermelon, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are my favorite in the summer, but the year-round staples such as bananas, apples, oranges, and cantaloupe work too! You will typically pay more, but most grocery stores sell pre-cut and washed fruit if this makes it easier.
3. Roasted Seaweed
Seaweed is one of my favorite snacks year-round, and perfect to bring along to the beach. Most roasted seaweed has added salt, which can actually come in handy when you are in the sun all day and your electrolytes are depleted. Seaweed is also a great source of iodine.
4. Mary’s Crackers and Guacamole
For a more filling snack, Mary’s Gone crackers and guacamole (Costco also sells small individual containers if you are not inclined to make your own) is a great option that is high in fibre, healthy fats, and several vitamins and minerals.
5. Homemade Energy Balls
I almost always have homemade energy balls in my fridge or freezer which make a great snack at the beach. My favorite recipe is my Chocolate Chickpea Energy Balls, but there are thousands of great recipes online as well. I recommend using dates (soaked and then pulsed in a food processor) instead of sugar, and incorporating black beans or chickpeas for extra fibre and nutrients!
6. Homemade Muffins
Muffins are another staple I usually have in my freezer, and make an awesome snack at the beach. My current go-to healthy muffin recipe is this Chocolate Zucchini one (it is a loaf that I turn into muffins). Zucchini are cheap and abundant during the summer months (or free if you are lucky enough to have a garden!), and muffins are a great way to use them.
7. Dried Fruit
Dried fruit (mango in particular) is another staple in my house and makes a great snack at the beach. I also like to use my dehydrator (an air fryer or oven often works too) to make different types of fruit leather. If you are buying dried fruit, check the ingredients to ensure there is no added sugar.
8. Nuts
Nuts make a great snack, especially in combination with dried fruit or any of the other options listed. Ideally, choose nuts that are not coated in excessive amounts of salt, sugar and/or oil, and are raw or only lightly roasted/salted. I like to buy raw almonds and roast them myself at a low temp (250 degrees F) for ~40 minutes until they are no longer soft. Keeping the temperature low helps prevent them from oxidizing.
9. Rice Cakes and Peanut Butter
You can never go wrong with peanut butter (unless you are allergic that is). Spread some natural peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter) between a couple rice cakes for an easy beach snack.
10. Popcorn
Popcorn is easy to make and is a great healthy snack. I often use my air popper to make a couple bags of popcorn for a few days’ work of snacks. I usually just add a small amount of coconut oil and salt, but there are many recipes online (such as this one) that are tasty as well. If you opt to buy popcorn, avoid movie theatre popcorn and try to find one that uses coconut or olive oil instead of sunflower oil.
Whether you are at the beach, on the go, or relaxing at home, these are 10 easy nutritious snack options that you can feel good about eating. Making it habit to plan, buy, and prepare healthier options is the hardest part. However, in doing so it leaves room to enjoy occasional more indulgent foods guilt-free.
If you are looking for individualized, evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle support to build healthy habits and address your specific health concern, consider booking a free consultation with Christy De Jaegher.
