Times are changing and so is the meaning of many words we use daily. What comes to your mind when you hear the word snacking? I don’t know about you, but my answer to that question has most certainly changed over the years. I have been an active person for as long as I can remember; a runner since the 7th grade winning school competitions, and now also a wellness entrepreneur for 13 years (still pinching myself). As a young athlete, I went through phases as a swimmer, soccer player, basketball player (short lived), and a crazy break-dancer (still an occasional YouTuber). Regardless of which sport I playing, I was ALWAYS hungry and asking for snacks! I used to be a ball of energy on toes, always ready to bust a move no matter where I was. While I generally ate balanced Indian meals in school, snacks for me only meant biscuits, maggi, potato chips, ice cream, bread and butter etc. By the time I was in high school and running competitively, I began ‘fueling’ for my sport. I started choosing bananas over cookies before runs, lime juice and food with clean carbs between events and meets, and chicken sandwiches post competitions, and felt much better. The first ‘energy bars’ were chocolates (according to what we were told) and I ate lots of them guilt-free! Many of them were highly processed and since I was not reading labels or nutritional facts, I believed they were the best for me. If you ask me, most of the protein/energy bars still have hard to pronounce ingredients, and not a real food item to be seen. Years passed and I started working on a perfect V-shaped body. I dived deeper into health and nutrition in search of the ‘science behind snacking’. I started paying more attention to the ingredient lists and became very selective with the food I ate. No surprises then that I saw an immediate change in my body as well as my mindset. My first-hand experience of how food also fuels the mind and productivity levels helped push me towards educating myself in health and wellness. To me, the perfect snacks are delicious, easy to eat on-the-go, (let's face it, we are all BUSY!), and made with REAL ingredients that can help my body from the inside – by increasing immunity, strength and brain power. I LOVE the new CaliBar as it is developed with a balanced macronutrient profile. It’s got a great amount of protein, healthy fats and most importantly enough carbs to keep us energized for all of life's adventures. There has never been a more important time in food history for us to remember that we really ‘are what we eat’. I choose to eat delicious foods that keep my energy stable for me. As such I no longer view cookies, crackers and ice cream as daily snacks (obviously!). They are treats to be enjoyed and included on occasion, but for daily snacks, I choose foods with real, wholesome ingredients; foods I can feel good about.
