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7 Snacking Mistakes & ONE Plant-Based Snack Solution
Whether you want to focus more on your heart health, reduce your carbon footprint, or just want to stop wondering why your one vegan friend has more stamina than the Energizer Bunny, swapping to a plant-based diet1 can do wonders for you and the planet.
While this way of eating is easy enough to adapt for your three squares, no diet can be considered commonplace until it cracks the snack game. After all, one report found that 94% of Americans say they snack every single day.
We know from personal experience that snacking is a deeply personal endeavor and that we've all got our own ways to go about it—especially now that we're spending more time in our own kitchens. So, we've gone ahead and laid out the seven types of plant-based snackers and how each of them can upgrade their plant-based snack for long-lasting satiation with nutritional benefits:
The Insufficient Snacker
Let's be real: Whether you DIYed a kale salad or got sushi delivered, lunch is rarely enough to keep us satiated until dinner. That's why we snack! But when a snack is nothing more than a couple of celery stalks, no one can be blamed for feeling hangry by the time dinner rolls around. After all, as nutritious and delicious as celery is, it lacks two important elements: fat and protein, both of which help keep you satiated.
Thankfully, this is an easy one to fix. Turn that celery into a delicious nut butter boat by adding a serving of peanut butter with a few hemp seeds sprinkled on top. Voilà [chef's kiss]. A snack that will go the distance.
The Crunch Master
Chips, crackers, pretzels—the louder the better when it comes to the Crunch Master's snack game, and a side of salt is almost a necessity. These snackers may feel like their natural tendency to crunch is at odds with their desire to maximize nutrition, but if they're willing to do the tiniest bit of prep work, that is far from the case. Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, turnips, and even the humble zucchini can all be sliced thinly, coated in olive oil, sea salt, and whatever spices you're feeling that day, and baked to get that crunch factor, healthily. Pair with hummus, tzatziki, or salsa for a little somethin' extra.
The Sweet Tooth
Adulthood is that period when we finally learn that a sleeve of cookies rarely (OK, never) leaves us feeling truly satiated. But that doesn't mean grown-ups don't need a sweet fix every now and then.
Now that they've learned an important lesson about snacking for long-term success, the Sweet Tooths among us can rely on snacks like the ONE PLANT Churro bars to indulge their cravings AND keep the hanger at bay. These toasty, cinnamony, dessert-level bars contain a single gram of sugar, plus the added benefit of 12 grams of plant-based protein.
The Food Diarist
World, get out of their way. Also known as the Habit Tracker or Resolutioner, this type of snacker has declared 2020 to be the year of #health—and we're (virtually) cheering them on from the sidelines. Signs include a commitment to eat more plants, a bullet journal for tracking the new goal, a commitment to daily at-home workouts, and an Instagram feed that's inundated with posts from nutrition and fitness influencers.
Here's our advice for the Food Diarist: Keep a stash of plant-based protein bars in the house to help ensure you stay on track without giving up the treats you love so dearly, and take advantage of being steps away from the kitchen by blending up some three-ingredient banana pancake batter (¾ cup oat bran, ½ of a ripe or overripe banana, and ½ cup of your favorite nondairy milk) to cook up when the midmorning munchies strike.
The Mindful Mama
Keeping a balanced diet can be challenging enough on your own, so those that do it for themselves and their families are the real MVPs—especially when attempting to juggle conference calls and home-schooling from home.
She's always prepared with a fridge full of cut fruit, veggies, nuts, and cheese for her kids. And for herself? The Mindful Mama can often neglect to keep herself prepared. Now's the time to change all that by keeping a stash of tastes-like-dessert ONE PLANT bars to help keep energy up during jam-packed days with the kids in tow and get a break from all that prep work.
The 9-to-5er
They may spend all day glued to their laptop, but they don't let that (or being stuck at home) get in the way of reaching their fitness goals (including their 10,000 steps). The 9-to-5er never misses their 7 a.m. virtual Pilates class (except for that one time they swapped for a jog) and keeps that mindset going throughout the day. And, before the 3 p.m. slump hits, they get ahead of it by grabbing a decadent ONE PLANT Carrot Cake bar from under their WFH desk. Loaded with just the good stuff (no GMOs, dairy, or gluten), the supremely textured snack bar will hold them over until dinnertime.
The Midnight Muncher
Safe to say we've all got some Midnight Muncher in us from time to time. Even after a full day of meals and snacking in between, sometimes that glow of the fridge light in the darkness of your kitchen is just too enticing (mysterious?) to ignore.
Midnight Munchers can upgrade the pizza of college years past with mini sweet potato toasts topped with pizza sauce, red pepper flakes, and a sprinkling of their favorite plant-based cheese—it will hit the spot without leaving you feeling sluggish when morning rolls around.
ONE PLANT's three delicious flavors, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Banana Nut Bread, and Churro, are now available in select Whole Foods Market locations in the Southeast, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and Southern California. Find more information here.
