15 mom and kids approved trail snacks

And if you are a mom, you know that’s a challenge! Because “kids approved” pretty much comes down to “tastebuds approved”, and as moms we all know, there is more to us than just tastebuds! So, let’s look for some healthy, whole body and whole family approved trail snacks!

Hiking burns a lot of calories, so it’s important to pack the right kind of snacks to keep your energy up on the trail and have quick and easy “anti-crash” solutions ready to avoid those breakdowns in the middle of nowhere.

If you have been following me for a while, you know I am all about healthy eating and prevention. And if you haven’t, now you know. The intention behind most of my blog posts is to keep kids healthy!

Why?

Because when I trained as an acupuncturist, one thing I observed in the clinic very early on is that keeping little humans healthy is much easier than curing big ones! Yes! When I was treating adults I found myself thinking quite often : “Why didn’t you come see me years ago?”

So, nowadays, my way of making sure these little potential future patients don’t walk into my clinic as chronically ill adults down the road is to not have a clinic : )! And of course, to educate and write about prevention and kids’ health. So, here we go!

Fuel up before you go – PRE-TRAIL FEEDING FOR SMALL AND TALL

Start your day with a nutritious healthy breakfast (things like eggs, oatmeal, fruits, avocado, nut butter …), and make sure everyone is well hydrated before you leave. Remember, coffee will make you pee, i.e. it is dehydrating! So make sure you get some electrolyte rich fluids like lemon water with honey, coconut water or a bit of organic fruit juice diluted with water into you and your kids before you go. This is super important since being well hydrated will also decrease your risk of getting cramps, headaches, or even sunburnt.

WHAT YOU WANT IN YOUR BACKPACK IS NUTRIENT-RICH, CALORIE-DENSE, AND LIGHT-WEIGHT

Nutrient-rich: contain lots of minerals and vitamins that your body needs replaced frequently, especially when working out and sweating. You need to keep nourishing your body, so you can keep going and avoid symptoms like cramps, headaches, dizziness, exhaustion…
Calorie-dense: A calorie is a unit of energy. The more calories a food has, the more energy it can provide to your body. And the more calorie-dense it is, the more energy it can provide in a small volume, which leads us to, light-weight.
Light-weight: whatever snack you choose, you are going to have to carry it every step of the way, so the lighter the better.

AND PLENTY OF FLUIDS

water
coconut water
lemon water
hydration and energy multiplier powder added to your water. Just check the ingredients and make sure they don’t have any artificial and toxic food additives. (see list below)

Fluids are heavy! But you can’t reduce the amount of water you bring to reduce weight. However, you can observe and adapt according to weather, distance, elevation gain, and your choice of snacks.

THE PERFECT MIX

Healthy whole foods are usually high in nutrients but low in calories. For example, a vegetable with 30 calories per 100 grams has a low calorie density, while chocolate that has 550 calories per 100 grams has a very high calorie density. However, what you need to know is that the reason why whole foods are low in calories is because they contain lots of water and fibers. So, even though big heavy things are not exactly what you want in your backpack when hiking, because they are full of water, they will help keep you hydrated. You will indeed drink less water if you eat some juicy fruits then if you only eat salty nuts and dark chocolate granola bars.

So, despite the weight, and because nothing can beat real whole foods when it comes to nutrition, I always recommend bringing some fresh fruits on day hikes. Just choose wisely and don’t bring the whole watermelon!

The goal is to find the right balance between healthy energy-boosting snacks, the right amount of water, and the weight of your pack. So, here we go!

“YES PLEASE” SNACK LIST

Fresh fruit (cut it up and put it in a lightweight container so you only carry what you eat)
nuts and seeds
apples with nut butters
dried fruit
dark chocolate chunks
Home-made (by the kids) trail mixes. Give them only healthy choices from the bulk section, such as dried fruits (raisins, dates, cranberries, mango, banana, pineapple, etc.) and nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts hazelnuts…)
hard, dry cheese
dried meats like salami or jerky
dark dense bread
salty crackers
nut butter sandwiches
tuna, salami, or cheese sandwiches
Frozen organic juice pops. They are pretty sugary, but keep them for the top of the hill as a reward.
Organic protein and granola bars (check the ingredient list and avoid the thinks on the “no thanks” list.
some organic candy for occasional energy boost.

You will need sweet and salty snacks to give you an energy boost and replace the salt you sweat out, but make sure they are otherwise clean!

“NO THANKS” SNACK INGREDIENT LIST

avoid anything with high-fructose corn syrup
artificial food colorings like Red40, Yellow5, blue… (they have been shown to cause ADHD and cancer)
artificial flavors
GMO (that’s a tricky one because GMOs don’t have to be labeled as such, so go for non-GMO or organic)
sodium nitrite found in meats as preservatives
any food additives that you can’t pronounce. If you can’t read it, don’t eat it.

Any processed and extremely palatable junk foods are very high in calories but very low in nutrients and full of toxic chemicals that are detrimental to your health. Don’t use working out as an excuse to eat these things. Don’t bother carrying them in your backpack. And don’t feed them to your kids. Otherwise they may become my future patients. And remember, I don’t have a clinic, which is why I am giving you the advice for free, right here, right now: “Don’t eat them!” Thank me later : )!

Let me know what you think about my mom and kids approved trail snacks. If you have some suggestions yourself, I would love to hear, as I noticed that having a new or surprise snack is really motivating the kids. Please share in the comments! Thanks!

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