Fats are pretty important to have in your diet. You want to make sure you're getting enough for healthy functioning, but obviously not too much. Plant based fats are fantastic and really all you need.
Before I changed my diet I would hear people say things like "don't eat to many avocado's (you could interchange this with nuts, nut butters, olive oil, blah, blah, blah), they're loaded with fat!" And so I got it into my mind that I needed to eat a lot less of those things. Well, it would have been better if I had not listened because instead I was getting my fats from things like chips, fries, crackers, all kinds of baked goods, and all manner of unhealthy processed foods.
Now that I have fine tuned my ways and I know a little bit more about the benefits of a healthy diet here is a typical day for me in snacks:
Unsalted tortilla chips with mashed up avocado (I'll share the recipe in a minute, this is my new go to comfort food), fresh chopped up veggie assortment (often I'll throw a small container of hummus in with them), celery and peanut butter, kidney beans, apples, oranges (I share all those apples and oranges with my kids), that black bag is a bag of craisens, and the blue package is roasted seaweed. And I almost always have in my bag a "trail mix" assortment which consists of a bunch of nuts and dried fruit I mix all together.
This is what I will pack up and take out on our adventures with us. I'll also throw in some sandwiches and crackers for the kids. I don't like to go hungry so I pack a lot of food. I feel like I always pack WAY too much, but it's usually all gone by the time I get home so it must be about right. And I don't feel guilty eating this much food because I know it's all good for my body. And this way I don't become incredibly hungry and feel like I absolutely have to have that burger and fries while we are out and about. Everything stays in check, and I don't turn into a mean hungry momma about to bite my kids head off.
So there are a few ideas of great ways to get your healthy fats. You don't need a lot of fat, but you certainly need to make sure it's in there.
So back to this avocado dip, I've just discovered this. I'm sure some of you are leaps and bounds ahead of me and have been making this stuff for years. It's fantastic stuff. And all it is is this:
1 ripe avocado
a splash of lime juice (fresh or from a bottle)
a pinch of salt
and some garlic powder
Just add as much of the seasonings as you think tastes good.
Smash it all together and you've got a super delicious snack! And I've learned that if you throw the pit in the container with the dip it will stay fresh longer. I'm diggin' this stuff!
Hope you are all finding new and exciting ways to become healthier in this new year. If you haven't started yet, I encourage you to give it a go! You really won't regret it. Just start with small changes and work your way up.
