Creating Your Own Healthy Trail Mix: A How To Guide

We all enjoy snacking on our favourite treats, but it's important to remember these food choices impact our overall health. That's when choosing guilt-free snacks becomes a must-have! One such fulfilling snack is trail mixes. While some individuals relish binging specific dry fruits and nuts, ultimately, including a wholesome combination can savour your health to the core. Healthy trail mixes contain nuts, seeds, and dry fruits that are a good source of healthy fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients.

Combining these powerful nutrients may improve energy, brain, digestive, and heart health. It may surprise you, but trail mix's health depends on the quality of ingredients used in the making. A trail mix containing sugar, candies, and high sodium can negatively impact our health. That is when creating a healthy trail mix becomes a reliable option. A trail mix containing unsalted nuts, no sugar, and no extra chocolate can be an excellent snack option. Creating your own dried fruit trail mix allows you to customize the ingredients according to your taste preferences and dietary needs. You can enhance the potential health benefits by using wholesome and nutritious ingredients.

Benefits of Trail Mix

A healthy trail mix comes with multiple health benefits! The combination of seeds and dry fruits, known to be a powerhouse of nutrition, makes trail mix no less than a super food. Rich in dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are useful to support overall well-being, here is a list of potential health benefits:

1.May Boost Immunity

Dry fruits are rich in protein, potassium, and calcium, which are useful for boosting immunity by fighting against various diseases. The presence of antioxidants helps to fight against oxidative stress and inflammation, which are associated with heart illness.

2.May Fight Against Constipation

Dry fruits and nuts are rich in dietary fibre, which is useful for keeping the gut system healthy and fighting against constipation. The fibre supports a healthy gut microbiome, contributing to healthy weight loss management.

3.May Support Healthy Heart

The nuts in trail mix are rich in monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, which are useful for reducing cholesterol levels and lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, etc. 

4.May Improve Bone Health

Individuals who consume a diet low in calcium and engage in physical inactivity and those who regularly use tobacco products are at risk of experiencing low bone health. Dry fruits are rich in protein, calcium, and other micronutrients, which are useful for strengthening bones and improving bone health. 

5.May Regulate Blood Sugar

Dry fruits are rich in fibre which is useful for slowing down the release of blood sugar in the bloodstream. It helps prevent spikes in blood sugar levels, stabilize mood, and provide energy all day.

6.Ingredients in Trail Mix

Trail mix is a highly customizable snack! One can experiment by mix and match variety of healthy ingredients depending upon their taste preferences. A healthy trail mix typically consists of best quality nuts, dry fruits and edible seeds. Here is a list of ingredients that are generally included in trail mix to create a perfect balance of flavour, texture and nutritional benefits-

Dry Fruits : The chewy flavour of dry fruits provides a satisfying and enjoyable snacking experience, but their nutritional profile makes them great snack options. They offer a concentrated form of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and protein which is useful for supporting overall health. Known for their natural sweetness, dry fruits are a great alternative to processed sugar and satisfy any sweet tooth. The most popular dry fruits included in trail mix are raisins, cranberries, and blueberries. Furthermore, dry fruits are a good source of dietary fibre, which promotes satiety, slows down your eating pace, and promotes mindful eating.

Nuts : Nuts are included in healthy trail mix due to their nutritious value and delightful crunch. They are a great source of healthy fats, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, for improving heart health. Including nuts in your trail mix is beneficial to provide plant-based protein, which is useful for keeping a person fuller for a long time and preventing overeating. When included in trail mixes, nuts add a delightful flavour and texture, improving the snacking experience. Some of the most popular trail mix nuts include almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, and pecans. One can dry roast these ingredients to enjoy a lip-smacking taste. 

Edible Seeds : Do you enjoy mild flavour and crunch? So what would be better to include than a handful of edible seeds in your trail mix? Often overlooked by the shadow of powerful nuts and dry fruits, edible seeds are equally nutrient-dense as they contain protein, healthy fats, dietary fibre, vitamins (such as vitamins E and B), minerals (such as magnesium, iron, and calcium) which offers a range of health benefits. Some of the popular seeds to include in trail mix are pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds. It’s great to experiment with different types of seeds to provide a nutritious boost to your trail mix.

7.How to Create your Own Trail Mix

Making your own trail mix gives you the freedom to customise it to your tastes and dietary requirements while still enjoying a tasty and convenient snack. Here are few tips on how to create the perfect dried fruit trail mix that meets your daily nutritional requirement! 

Start with a Base : Select a few of your preferred dried fruits and nuts based on your taste and nutritional needs. Popular options include cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios.

Include Dry Fruits : Choose dry fruits like dried raisins, cranberries, and blueberries or any other dry fruit you enjoy to add a bit of sweetness and a rich taste. They help to satisfy your sugar cravings and enhance the nutritional profile of your trail mix.

Sprinkle Handful of Seeds : To add some extra crunch and improve the texture of your trail mix, consider including a few edible seeds. Some popular options include sunflower, flax, watermelon, and pumpkin seeds, which will enhance the nutritional profile.

Mix all the Ingredients : After collecting all the ingredients, combine them in a big bowl and mix well. Make sure that each ingredient is evenly distributed. One way to improve portion control is by dividing your trail mix into smaller servings beforehand. This way, you can have smaller portions and track your intake better.

Store Properly : Place the trail mix in an airtight container and keep it in cool, dark, and dry to preserve its freshness. Dry fruits have less moisture than normal fruits, but to maintain their freshness for long one can store it in the main compartment of refrigerator. 

Conclusion

If we had to compare a bag of fried chips, then a pack of trail mix nuts and seeds is a healthy option! The sweet and crunchy combination of seeds, nuts, and dry fruits makes a delightful blend that satisfies cravings and improves overall well-being. It is best to shop for quality ingredients for making your signature blend of healthy trail mix. Take a glimpse of the best quality dry fruits and nuts from Nutraj, India's leading premium dry fruits brand. Browse through our extensive collection and make your healthy trail mix at-home today!