Snack Smarter

Somehow the weight loss trend has become all about bars, meal replacement shakes, frozen meals, and special pills. If you take this pill AND drink 10-12 glasses of water each day, with 2 glasses before each meal, you will lose weight. Really? Wouldn't this work for anyone?
So how can someone lose body fat while retaining their lean muscle mass to get a healthy weight loss?
Eat clean & often!
The easiest way to eat "clean" is by choosing single foods to create meals and/or snacks. Single foods include foods that have one ingredient: apple, orange, broccoli, carrots, chicken breast, lean beef, low-fat milk, nuts, etc. 
By eating single foods, you will consume less processed meals and snacks throughout the day. This will automatically increase the amount of vitamins and minerals that you take in as well as decrease the "bad" fat that is often used to preserve foods. When grabbing a snack, you know it's  good choice when at least 2 food groups are combined. The food groups are: Grains, Protein, Dairy, Fruit, Vegetables, and Healthy Fat.
Compare these snacks:
Whole grain triscuits (Grains)2% String cheese (Dairy)15 Grapes (Fruit)Nutrition Info: 230 Calories, 34g Carb, 4g Fiber, 12g Protein

1/2 cup Pistachios (Protein/Fat)1/2 Turkey sandwich (Protein)on 1 slice Whole grain bread (Grains)Nutrition Info: 300 Calories, 26g Carb, 8g Fiber, 18g Protein

Apple/banana (Fruit)Almond/Peanut butter (Protein/Fat)Nutrition Info: 250 Calories, 24g Carb, 5g Fiber, 7g Protein  Hummus (Fat)Carrots/Celery/Whole grain crackers (Vegetable/Grains)Nutrition Info: 230 Calories, 29g Carb, 3g Fiber, 5g Protein  1% Chocolate Milk - 1 cup (Protein, Dairy)Nutrition Info: 170 Calories, 29g Carb, 9g Protein  ...to these: 
Cheez-its (Grains)Nutrition Info: 300 Calories, 40g Carb, 0g Fiber, 6g Protein  Granola bar - Nutrigrain (Grain)Nutrition Info: 140 Calories, 26g Carb, 1g Fiber, 1g Protein  Fruit Snacks (Processed carbohydrate)Nutrition Info: 80 Calories, 20g Carb, 0g Fiber, 1g Protein  Chips - SunChips (Grain/Processed carbohydrate)Nutrition Info: 140 Calories, 18g Carb, 2g Fiber, 2g Protein
Notice the snacks in the first group came from pairing 2 or more food groups together to make the carbohydrate and protein content more balanced. This is the key to keeping blood sugar stable leading to better energy levels and concentration. Most of the ready-to-go, easy snacks (Chips, pretzels, bars, even fruit) are mainly carbohydrate. Always pair a carbohydrate type food with protein! Eating a food in it's original form ends up creating snacks with more quality nutrients. It's easy to think that something is "healthy" like SunChips (they're made with whole grains) or granola bars (aren't they good for you?) or even fruit snacks (they're made from real fruit, right?) However, nothing can replace eating a food in it's original form. By eating a cleaner diet, a person will reap the benefits of fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein and FEEL better overall.