If you’re anything like me, you might study for five minutes then reward yourself with a snack. Feeding our brains with the best snacks is one of the greatest things we can do as college students. That’s why I’ll name a few of my favorite snacks that keep me going and probably have me snacking a little too much.
Trail mix
This became one of my absolute favorite snacks when I first came to college, exposed to me by one of my roommates. I love the versatility that comes with this snack and being able to choose from almonds, dried fruit, peanuts or even a sweet favorite like chocolate. My personal favorite trail mix combo right now would have to be the tropical mix. I normally grab this from Walmart, but it contains sweetened banana chips, dried papaya, raisins, almonds and the best part is the dried pineapple. Yes, I am a bit biased toward this one, but the lovely thing about this snack is the variety and chance for you to make your own at home.
Coconut Clusters
In addition to the fact that it’s addicting, this snack is super healthy. It’s made with chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and they are organic. These are sweet and tasty and have become my alternative to snacking on other sweets like cookies. They are a bit high in carbs, but they carry a good amount of protein. Pick these up during your next Costco shopping haul. You will not regret it. I love these, and if you try them, you probably will too.
belVita
I highly recommend this snack to anyone who skips breakfast. These delicious breakfast biscuits supposedly provide four hours of energy and are packed with fiber and whole grains. I was first exposed to belVita later in high school and have not looked away since. Another nice feature is that it comes in multiple flavors like blueberry, chocolate, brown sugar and cranberry orange. Even better, it’s available in bites or the full biscuit form. Catch me eating one of these for breakfast, lunch or even dinner.
Plantain Chips
I realized that almost all the above snacks are optimal for sweet tooths, so here is one for my salt tooth. Crunchy, salty, delicious and — unfortunately — not so nutritious, these snacks are a must-have for any lunch box. My favorite is when they’re homemade because they are warm and fresh. I read somewhere that they have less fat than regular potato chips, so if you’re looking for an alternative, then this could be it. I will say plantain chips are rare to find in the stores, but Trader Joe’s does carry a form of them.
I’m always sure to bring at least one of these snacks in my bag when going out or leaving to study. If you’ve never had one of these before, I encourage you to try one. Everyone has a favorite snack that they consider brain food, and while these are a few of my favorites, I’m hoping to keep expanding my snack list as I learn some of yours!