Looking for a snack? Here's a QUICK and YUMMY one

Ok so I know a lot of people like yogurt for a good and quick snack on the go... and generally yogurt is thought of as healthful, providing calcium, probiotics, and some protein. And it CAN be a healthy choice, however, did you know that the average container of fruit flavoured yogurt has about 14 tsp of sugar per serving! Consider that ideally we would consume no more than 5 tsp of sugar per day, and you can get a feel for how high that really is. Flavoured yogurts that do not contain sugar are sweetened either with aspartame or sucralose (Splenda), which in my professional opinion is even worse than sugar (read more about the dangers of artificial sweeteners here). Use of artificial sweeteners is proving to contribute to weight gain in the long run, not to mention the effect it has on nerve cells and the liver that has to detoxify it.

For a truly satisfying snack that really is healthful, use PLAIN yogurt (and no, don't even worry about getting low-fat) and flavour it yourself. Goat yogurt is preferable to cow's yogurt as it is easier to digest for most people (even if you're not aware of cow's dairy causing you problems, it may be causing systemic inflammation as it is very hard for our body's to digest). And in any case, get ORGANIC sources to avoid the antibiotics and feed additives that are fed to the livestock.

So what will you do with the plain yogurt? Here's a few nutritilicious suggestions:

• add fresh blueberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries, diced peaches, or any other fruit of choice - this will add natural sweetness, loads of antioxidants, vit c, and fibre
  
• add a tsp or two of freshly ground flax seeds - essential fatty acids (omega-3) and additional fibre, making it a little more filling to keep you satisified longer
• try some cacao nibs or fresh ground cacao beans (just take a few beans and throw them in a coffee grinder, like you do to grind your flax seeds, to make a powder) - this is great if you're craving for some chocolate or caffeine... it won't taste sweet like chocolate, but provides the magnesium that chocolate gives, and can really satisfy that urge
• add a few walnut pieces - more essential fats, and vit E and a little bit of protein too
• my newest favourite addition - dried GOJI berries - very high in antioxidants, and a fairly high protein content for a fruit - they are like little red raisins

One of my favourite combos is yogurt, cacao powder, and goji berries. Another one is blueberries, ground flax, and walnuts.

Does this sound like too much work? It really isn't... once you have the things on hand, it takes all of 2 minutes to throw this together, and you can do it in the morning and take it to work with you for a good mid-afternoon snack to keep your energy high and avoid those coffee and cookie cravings. One caveat: Don't add the ground flax to the yogurt in advance - it will start to congeal and become kind of "gluey" by the time you eat it. Just put the flax in a small container and throw it in when you're ready to eat it.