Healthy Snack Traditions From Around The World

Bigstockphoto.com/Side portrait of beautiful young black woman eating ice cream outside

America’s snacking industry is a big one, but it’s not exactly a healthy one. Snacks get their own aisle at the grocery store, but that aisle doesn’t have refrigerators because—you guessed it—that food isn’t fresh! It comes in shiny aluminum bags or wrappers with colorful logos on them. Snacks that do come in refrigerators aren’t something to brag about either. Most snack packs are some combination of crackers, meat, cheese and (if you’re lucky) fruit or nuts. Then there are the vending machines around every corner. Perhaps because our snacks aren’t healthy, the act of snacking has become taboo. That is a shame because, when done right, snacking can actually be an ally in your healthy eating goals. In fact, there is a good chance that the healthiest people you know are major snackers. So let’s try this: here are healthy snacking traditions from around the world.

Bigstockphoto.com/A closeup of traditional south african biltong on a wooden chopping board

South Africa

When South Africans need a quick source of protein that won’t go bad in the car, they grab Biltong. Biltong is similar to jerky and usually made into lean strips that are easy to carry.