Healthy Munchies

It’s 4:25 and the munchies are kicking in. If you don’t want your snack sesh to get in the way of your summer bod goals, reach for a healthier swap:

Craving Pizza?

Who isn’t? One of the best munchie snacks around, pizza is dangerous because you have an ENTIRE PIZZA in front of you and it looks so alluringly delicious. An easy swap is to make your own mini pizzas on English muffins, pita bread, or get even mini-er by using sliced zucchini.

Want a Sandwich?

Swap out bread with something brilliant like a pickle. A pickle you say? Yep! The brilliant people over at Delish have come up with a pickle sub and tuna salad pickle boats. Try reaching for Wild Planet tuna. They use only sustainably sourced tuna and you can feel good about loading up on heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You can also swap out bread with cucumbers, or just roll up all the yummy stuff you like in deli meat.

Got a Sweet Tooth?

Craving sweets can be tricky since sugar doesn’t fill you up. Try reaching for ripe bananas (they’re sweeter ripened), like these frozen banana s’mores. Or my favorite snack ever: peanut butter, sliced banana, and a drizzle of honey on a tortilla or toasted whole wheat frozen waffle. You will not regret that one, it’s delicious and super filling.

Keep a nice stock of fruit for an easy sweet snack, and if you’re a fan of sweet/spicy, try this delicious mango fruit salad (extra points: mango will increase the length of your high thanks to the terpene myrcene‎).

Need Some Crunch?

Chips are a stoner-staple for many reasons. Salty, crunchy, and no shortage of flavors. Unfortunately, many flavored chips are loaded with artificial flavors, chemicals, and a ton of calories. So if you’re craving some salt, try having these baked plantains, roasted edamame, or toasted chickpeas on hand.

If you’re just looking for a satisfying crunch, reach for an old staple: celery and peanut butter. The different textures complement each other well, and we bet you’ll feel a warm fuzzy feeling from the nostalgia factor alone.

Stock Up

Be prepared for munchies by keeping a nice stock of these easy healthy items:

• Hummus is rich in fiber, has a great flavor, and has so many dippable options: carrots, celery, bell peppers, pita chips, broccoli, snap peas. YUM.
• Licorice is delicious and can actually reduce your appetite--as long as you reach for the real stuff (make sure licorice extract is high on the ingredient list.
• Grapes are literally one of the best underrated stoner snacks. Between red and green, there’s an option for every taste preference (did you know there are grapes that taste like cotton-freakin-candy?!), and the flavor explosion when you bite down is a next-level experience (and helps cotton mouth). Freeze them for a treat on hot summer days.
• Popcorn. The real stuff, that is. Skip the bagged microwave options filled with chemicals and extra calories, and make yourself some popcorn the old fashioned way. It’s a trip watching the kernels pop, and you’ll get to doctor it up any way you want.