Trail mix is the ideal snack for outdoor enthusiasts because it’s lightweight, portable, prevents hunger and brimming with nutrients. It’s always best to make your own and avoid anything prepackaged that might contain sugar, oils and preservatives in access. The best thing about putting together your own selection is you can experiment with different flavours and textures that appeal to any craving. Trail mix is great to take out whilst out and about hiking, walking and trail running as the mixture packs quite a calorie-heavy crunch, but it does get a bit of bad rep for being a “dangerfood” if consumed too much.
If you’ve never made a trail mix before and want to know what ingredients you can use, or want to change things up a bit, we’ve listed some ideas above (and below). These ingredients might be small in size but they contain an enormous amount of vitamins.
Grains – Whole grains are high-fibre foods which will make you feel full even when fewer calories are consumed. Grains are transforming breakfast foods, with everything from oat-based pancake recipes to homemade granola!
Examples: bran flakes, air-popped popcorn, toasted oats, granola, pretzels, whole-wheat crackers, puffed rice cereal, shredded wheat cereal, whole-grain cereals etc.
Seasoning – If nuts and seeds aren’t your usual go-to graze, then you might need to spice it up a little (literally!)
Examples: cinnamon, curry powder, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, sea salt, cardamom etc.
Seeds – Labelled ‘small but mighty’, seeds provide nourishment by the handful to help brain performance, bone maintenance, heart function, cell production and immune system.
Examples: pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds etc.
Nuts – These little bundles of dietary joy offer various health benefits, so if you’re on the lookout for anything particular (i.e. lowering cholesterol, upping your antioxidant intake etc), there are plenty of options to choose from. Well, nut is in nutrition after all!
Examples: almonds, walnuts, hazel nuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, pecans, peanuts, pistachios, cashews etc.
Dried Fruit – Dried fruits contain little to not fat, but makes up for that in its high-calorie content, providing a natural source of energy for outdoor goers.
Examples: banana chips, strawberries, dates, figs, mango, pineapple, raisins, pineapple, blueberries, apples, cherries, goji berries, apricots, cranberries etc.
Sweets – All those with a sweet tooth, read on! Try not to go overboard, but there are ways to give into your chocolate cravings without any guilt. What could be better?
Examples: dark chocolate chips, yoghurt-covered raisins, dark chocolate covered nuts, mini marshmallows, dark chocolate covered coffee beans etc.
You can download and print a copy here.