When it comes to eating a healthy, satisfying snack, it's easy to get off-track by loading up on calorie-dense foods [2]. Even though some of these foods seem healthy, such as nuts, dried fruit, and trail mix, it's easy to blow past a serving size and accidentally eat hundreds of extra calories a day.
As dietitian Paula Norris (@movingdietitian [3]) showed in an Instagram post, you can eat almost 100 calories worth of trail mix with just a handful, or about 20 grams. For the same number of calories, you can have nine big strawberries and a few almonds, a snack totaling more than 150 grams. With the strawberries, you get more bang for your buck. And with a fuller plate and more food to eat, you will probably feel more full and satisfied.
"If you're hungry, it's important to fill up on higher fiber [5] high bulk snacks like the option on the right," she wrote in her caption. Although there's nothing wrong with snacking on trail mix, it probably won't satisfy you in the same way a large serving of fruit and handful of nuts would. Plus, since trail mix is calorie-dense, it's easy to overeat it.
Next time you get hungry in between meals, rethink your snack options. For less than 100 calories, you can have a healthy, high-fiber, and filling snack.