I went to Bible study tonight and the snack offered was do-it-yourself trail mix. There were dried cranberries, yogurt-covered almonds, raisins, mixed nuts, cereal and M&Ms. Delicious! I have bought trail mix and always seem to like it better if there is a sweet element — candy-coated chocolates, dried mango, dried apricot, figs, dates, etc. I believe I have even made my own trail mix. Then, you can put in everything that are your personal favorites. Most of the trail mix you buy is high in calories because that is what you need when you are hiking. You burn off those calories. I have hiked in Colorado, but there are not many places to hike around Dallas. So, I eat it as a snack and really don’t need all those calories. But you can make your own healthier trail mix. Let’s learn more about it.
According to Wikipedia, trail mix or scroggin is a type of snack mix, typically a combination of granola, dried fruit, nuts and sometimes candy, developed as a food to be taken along on hikes. Trail mix is considered an ideal snack food for hikes, because it is lightweight, easy to store and nutritious, providing a quick energy boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit or granola and sustained energy from fat in nuts.
The combination of nuts, raisins and chocolate as a trail snack dates at least to the 1910s, when outdoorsman Horace Kephart recommended it in his popular camping guide.
Other names
In New Zealand, trail mix is known as "scroggin" or "schmogle." In Australia, the term "scroggin" is used exclusively, although in more recent years, "trail mix" has been imported into the jargon from the U.S. Some claim that the name stands for sultanas, carob, raisins, orange peel, grains, glucose and nuts or alternatively sultanas, chocolate, raisins and other goodies including nuts; but this may be a backronym, an acronym formed from an already existing word.
The American word “gorp,” a term for trail mix often used by hikers in North America, is typically said to be an acronym for "good ol' raisins and peanuts," although the mix may contain M&M's and other nuts. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1913 reference to the verb “gorp,” meaning "to eat greedily," so the "good ol' raisins and peanuts" explanation may be folk etymology.
In Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and several other European countries, trail mix is called "studentenfutter" or "student fodder," Danish "studenterhavre" or "student oats" or "student mix" in the local languages and usually does not include chocolate. In Iran, mixed nuts are called "ajil" and are eaten at festivals like Yaldā Night (winter solstice festival) or just a social "mehmooni" (gathering or party).
Ingredients
Common ingredients may include:
- Legumes, such as peanuts or baked
- Dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries,
or candied orange peel.
- Chocolate: chocolate chips, chunks and
- Breakfast cereals such as granola.
- Rye chips.
- Pretzels.
- Seeds, such as pumpkin seeds or
- Carob chips.
- Shredded coconut.
- Crystallized ginger.
According to Carlene Thomas’ April 21, 2020 article “4 Best Trail Mixes at the Supermarket, and 6 to Avoid” at eatthis.com, trail mix can be healthy, and it can also be pretty unhealthy too. While nuts are definitely a healthy snack that's packed with heart-healthy fats, coating them in sugar or salt is a tricky recipe for disaster. Dried fruit is a great source of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals. But if the only fruit involved is a raisin rolled in a sweetened yogurt coating, guess again. Perhaps the biggest problem with trail mix is the serving size. Since there are lots of nutrient-dense foods in this snack, eating it mindlessly out of the bag will tally up to hundreds of calories before you know it. And if you aren't really hiking, well . . . let's just say it's as bad as snacking on other unhealthy snacks with a bad reputation.
How to pick the best trail mix
You can tell a lot about how healthy or unhealthy a trail mix will be by judging it at face value. Here's what to look for:
Avoid coated nuts: Nuts are amazing sources of nutrition but avoid mixes that contain sugar- and salt-coated nuts.
Look for mixes with mostly fruit and nuts: If the mix contains lots of candy, chocolate and deep-fried crispy snacks, it's no longer a healthy choice.
Read into the name: From "s'more" to "monster" to "unicorn," trail mix names that use dessert references usually mean lots of added sugar.
Mind the sodium: For flavored trail mixes that are savory, check the sodium content. Seasoning blends can rely heavily on salt to add flavor, and after two handfuls, that can add up to the maximum recommended daily amount of 2300 milligrams!
Look for less added sugar: Remember that fruit is a naturally occurring source of sugar, but the sugar to be wary of is added sugar. (Note: All companies must list this information by 2021.) A little won't make or break your day, but if you're comparing brands side by side, opt for one with less added sugar.
Think about the serving size. The serving size for most trail mixes is 1/4 cup, which is about one handful. Keep this in mind as you're looking at the nutrition label and ask yourself what the sodium and sugar levels would look like if you were to double, triple or even quadruple the amount you're consuming — and that's only a few handfuls.
The Best Trail Mixes You Can Buy
1. Back to Nature Harvest Blend
If you're looking for no added sugar and no added salt, Back to Nature's Harvest Blend should be your pick. There's plenty of flavor in there from the raisins, almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, pecans and dried apricots. With 5 grams of protein per serving, this is the highest protein pick of the bunch.
2. Planter’s Nut-trition Omega-3 Mix
If you're all about heart health, this one's for you. Planter’s Omega-3 Mix contains cashews and walnuts and is an excellent source of ALA omega-3s. You won't find any junk food mix-ins here — just sweet cinnamon apples and raisins. With only 25 milligrams of sodium, it's a sodium-conscious pick you can feel good about.
3. 365 Everyday Value Cape Cod Trail Mix
This Whole Foods brand mix is super simple. It only contains almonds and cashews that are roasted with canola oil and sea salt — but only 30 milligrams of sodium per serving, mixed with dried cranberries. There is a bit of added sugar here, but it caps off at 2 grams per serving. If you're looking for a basic trail mix that makes for an enjoyable sweet-salty snack, this is it.
4. Enjoy Life Fruit & Seed Mix Mountain Mambo
Trail mix can be a frustrating category for those who are trying to be nut-free but Enjoy Life's entire line focuses on offering allergen-free options. This mix has sunflower and pumpkin seeds along with raisins, cranberries, dried apples and chocolate chips. While it does have 4 grams of added sugar, it's still much less than other trail mixes out there. And to be honest, this one feels like a true trail mix, with lots of textures and flavors. Buy it in a single-serving pouch if it's too tempting to get a whole bag.
The Worst Trail Mixes You Can Buy
1. Trader Joe’s Rainbow’s End Trail Mix
We'll call this one the best house on a bad block. The Rainbow's End trail mix is definitely a treat trail mix, but it's slightly better than other options out there. While the mix includes peanuts, almonds, raisins and M&M-type chocolate, the chocolate is made with natural dyes — turmeric, spirulina, etc. Still, this isn't a trail mix to gorge on. It has about 8 grams of added sugar and 210 calories per serving, which is on the higher end of the spectrum in the category.
2. Kar’s Sweet ‘n Salty Mix
Kar's seems to be realistic about how much people will actually eat in a sitting, so they designate a serving size at 2 ounces, while most other trail mixes keep it at 1 ounce. But the truth is that a serving size of trail mix should really be less than that. With a serving of 2 ounces, you'll be consuming up to 270 calories, 17 grams of fat and 10 grams of added sugar.
3. Emerald Breakfast On-the-Go Nut & Granola Mix, S’mores Nut Blend
You know how camping is supposed to be a healthy outdoorsy activity? It is, if you're hiking and forest bathing, but not if you're sitting in front of your tent, scrolling on your phone and eating s'mores. That's kind of what this trail mix is — the dessert parts of trail mix without any of the good parts. Made with vanilla-flavored granola, honey roasted peanuts, milk chocolate candies, marshmallows, cocoa almonds and graham crackers, it's really a bag of junk food. You'll be eating a long list of different kinds of sugars, wax, paragons and hydrogenated palm kernel oil.
5. Archer Farms Sweet Heat BBQ Trail Mix
At face value, this doesn't seem to necessarily be a “bad” trail mix. But look closely at the components — seasoned almonds and peanuts, corn nuggets and honey-roasted sesame sticks. The corn nuggets and honey sesame sticks are not a nutritionally valuable addition like, say, dried fruits. With 240 milligrams of sodium, this savory trail mix is the most sodium-heavy of the bunch. While that's still only 10 percent of the daily value, think about how that starts to add up once you're snacking on this by the handful.
5. Nature’s Promise Monster Trail Mix
This trail mix is everything you want in a monster cookie — peanuts, chocolate chunks, chocolate candies and raisins. But it all comes under the guise of a healthy snack. With 5 grams of added sugar per serving, you're better off giving into your craving and eating a small version of the cookie you actually want.
6. Kirkland Trail Mix
This isn't the only trail mix on the list that has raisins, nuts and chocolate candies, but if avoiding artificial coloring in food is important to you, skip this one. Since it is Costco-sized, remember that 3 tablespoons is a very small portion of this bag and the nutrition value is based on an even blend of all the ingredients. So, don't go picking out the M&Ms and leaving the nuts and raisins behind.
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