It was the ‘official day’ of our favorite knotted snack this past weekend, which means we had an ‘official excuse’ to go to the store and buy armfuls of our favorite bags of pretzels. Of course, there are tons of other delightful healthy snacks that you can have alongside or outside of pretzels, and here are four of our favorites for summer:

1. Edamame

Edamame, or in other (less fancy) words, boiled green soybeans, pack a healthy punch. Although you might struggle with saying it a few times – “eda-what?” – as soon as you get the hang of it, you’ll be ordering it by name whenever you go. ½ cup comes to a low 120 calories, with 9 grams of fiber, 10% of your daily Vitamin C and iron value, and also packs a punch for vitamin A, calcium, and protein^[1]. If you feel like an extra kick, sprinkle some chili flakes and garlic on these edible edamames!

2. Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are the tiny, edible seeds of female pine cones. Crunchy yet somehow buttery at the same time (nature, you’re amazing), they’re a fantastic source of vitamin E, are gluten-free, and contain mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Or in other words, are “heart-friendly” treats proven to also help lower cholesterol levels^[2]. They’re one of the easiest and most tasteful additions to any meal; bread, salads, trail mix and those oh-so reliable Luvo flatbreads!

3. Popcorn

Popcorn, depending on how you “pop” it (aka without all that oil, butter and salt), can be a nutritious, low-calorie, high-fibre and whole grain snack. Not only is it one of those magical foods that are naturally sugar-free, but also contains a ton of healthy-for-you antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals^[3]. If you’re wondering what all the different ways of preparing your popcorn are (and which are more guilt-free than others), check out this post by Luvo.

4. Almonds

Not only are almonds one of the most Nutritious Nuts, they also go with practically anything. You can toss them in a salad, grab a handful on-the-go, or even add them in as that extra bit of crunch in your cookies. They are one of the most well-balanced foods, in terms of essential proteins, vitamins and minerals (like calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc), fats, and are also naturally gluten-free^[4]. Which means, for all you gluten-free folks out there, almonds are the treat for you.

And, in honor of National Pretzel Day (and just for fun), this is what a 250 year-old burnt pretzel looks like:

If those didn’t quite tickle your taste buds, there are tons more snack ideas where they came from.

Let us know what your favorite healthy snack is in the comments below, or tweet @luvoinc.

 

^[1] http://www.webmd.com/diet/the-secret-of-edamame

^[2] http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pine-nuts.html

^[3] http://www.popcorn.org/NutritionRecipes/NutritionYou/NutritionalInformation/tabid/96/Default.aspx

^[4] http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/almonds.html