Though the finding of a gray hair and fear of aging likely spawned the author to write it, this article has some good snack ideas and interesting mentions of health studies. I enjoyed it. Hopefully you will too.
You know the cereal aisle at the grocery store. Go ahead and skip all that. Because an average cereal aisle has been corrupted for years. I wish it was funny that you have to go to the health food section to get some quality cereal. It’s really not funny, just sad and pathetic. You want less processed and above all, little or no sugar. When I was growing up, I never made good cereal choices, and now that I want to, I’m having a lot trouble finding them. Because many of the choices are misleading. If you want a healthy cereal, first you need to find whole ingredients. 
Next you need to make sure it hasn’t been dumped over by the sugar industry. I don’t know where the blame lies. Some say that with government subsidies, the sugar industry has to find any and every food it can, and fill it up with sugary essence. Others would say that the cereal companies are simply giving the public what it wants. Solving the problem will no doubt require battles on both fronts. But you can fight your own consumer war by buying really good cereals, and writing letters saying you want less sugar. How do I know this works? Because it worked for peanut butter.
My best two choices for you in cereals are: Uncle Sam’s Cereal with Mixed Berries and Kashi Go Lean Crunch, Honey Almond Flax.
A word of warning. Start small with the Uncle Sam cereal. If you are not used to bran, it can actually cause you pain. You have to build up your “resistance.” I was hungry one morning, and had a couple bowls of it. Don’t do that. You’re stomach and bowels won’t approve. What I’ve been doing lately is getting a bowl of the Kashi, and then putting the Uncle Sam flakes on top. Sound boring? Sure it is. Then you ad some more fruit (because freeze dried fruit is not nutritious) like blueberries and strawberries. And you’ve got a real breakfast meal there. After you do that for a while, you’ll wonder what kind of idiots would buy Oreo or Reese’s cereal. I know because I used to buy those cereals, and I was an idiot for doing it.
Divine Caroline, a website lists a good collection of snack and regular foods that you might want to consider. 20 Healthiest Foods under a dollar. This is timely information for me, as I need some inspiration for some important sustenance I’ll be needing on an upcoming wilderness camping trip. More on that later.
An article from the BBC news website. It is reported that the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition studies have found that Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.
Tea Healthier than water? (From BBC News)
FTA:
Dr Ruxton said: “Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.”
She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating.
“Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.
“Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth,” she added.
I personally don’t find this surprising, but I have to say, I disagree with the flouride comment. In fact, I think flouride in the water is not only useless, but harmful. Flouride has been known to be most effective through direct application to the teeth, through brushing. I believe flouride is harmful. I don’t believe it’s good for human ingestion, especially not by adding it to our water supply. What the heck is up with that?
Men’s health has a story called Genius Junk Food which reminds us that some bad snacks actually have a good side. Chocolate, pork rinds, and sour cream to name a few. Believable? Sure, why not.
I’ve been on a diet lately. Let me rephrase that. I’ve been depriving myself lately. Yes that feels more honest. I’m trying to lose some weight before a vacation. I need to fit into that suit that I used to fit into. So that means that snackhunting for me gets a little greener and a little less sweet. Despite my current predicament, I want to recommend a snack I’ve liked even before this diet, but has made a comeback for me because of it.
Next time you hit the grocery store, see what kind of selection they have in hummus. If you’ve never heard of hummus, I wouldn’t be surprised. Though it shows up at dinner parties, I don’t find that many people have it sitting around. It’s made from chick peas, also known as garbanzo beans. It’s a pasty dip-like concoction with a Mediterranean origin I think. The legume properties of this snack are a plus right away. You can get a lot of different flavors, one example being sun-dried tomato. Many people will put hummus out with pita chips for people to snack on at a gathering. But let me just say that you can do better. Try to find some Wasa Hearty Rye Crackers. I won’t pretend they will be easy to find at your local market. But you might get lucky. These crackers are definitely hearty and many would even say Flavor Free. But when paired with the hummus, they become the snack they always dreamed of being.
If you want to try my favorite hummus, try out Wild Garden brand. I won’t say they are better than others, because I’ve only had three kinds of hummus, however their Roasted Red Pepper hummus is delicious on the rye crackers.
Break one of the large crackers into about four pieces and just dip in the hummus and enjoy. I’ve used it as a good after-work treat recently. But any time of day you need just a few seconds and it’s a much better choice than chips or candy. I love the flavor and it has become a staple in the house for the wife and me.
Yahoo food gives us the 7 reasons to drink green tea. But for me the question is, when did Yahoo start its own food network? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeing Top 10, Top 20, Top 7 lists everywhere. At least this one is actually good for you.