sa∙vor∙y (sā’-və-rē), adjective 1. having a pleasant taste or smell. 2. having a spicy or salty quality without being sweet.

snack (snak), noun 1. a small amount of food eaten between meals.

Savory plus snack equals a delicious and satisfying way to keep yourself nourished throughout the day. Here are four more excellent reasons to enjoy savory snacks this holiday season (and beyond).

1. Give your body a break from the constant onslaught of sugary treats it may be facing during the holidays. There is no doubt that sugar, especially in excess, is no good for our health. Its intake is associated with weight gain, tooth decay, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes, and heart disease. Savory snacks skip the sugar altogether, which is good news for your body.
2. Reset your taste buds. Eating a lot of sugar over time (say, like during the holidays) trains our taste buds (and our brains) to expect an intense hit of sugar all the time, making foods that aren’t sweet less tasty and somewhat disappointing. Take back your taste buds and you can actually appreciate real, healthy foods and their more subtle tastes. Resetting your taste buds can even make sweets more enjoyable and you might even find you’re satisfied without having to go back for seconds or thirds to get that intense hit.
3. Help keep your blood sugar balanced. Unlike sweet snacks, savory snacks can help prevent the ups and downs that can lead to sugar cravings in the first place.
4. Create good habits for year-round eating. Savory snacks don’t have to be relegated just to the holidays; add them to your regular repertoire to help lower your daily sugar intake and keep you feeling good long after the last glass of eggnog as been drunk.

You don’t have to save your savory snacks just for you, either. It’s likely many of your friends and family are also trying to watch their sugar intake over the holidays and might just be plain sick of sweets too. Bring a savory snack to the office to share or give savory snacks neatly packaged as gifts. The thank-you you’re likely to get is a genuine sigh of relief when your recipient realizes they won’t have to do battle with yet another gift plate of cookies.

For quick on-the-go savory snacks, I love these options

• Bulk Nuts and Seeds – For added flavor fun I love the Curried Cashews and Tamari Pumpkin Seeds.
• Jerky – You can now get salmon, buffalo, chicken, lamb, and turkey jerky in an array of tasty flavors. Plain old beef jerky still exists too. Just be sure to check that your jerky is free of hormones and antibiotics, as well as artificial flavors and preservatives, and of course low in sugar.
• Kale Chips – My favorite guilt-free way to cure a crunchy-salty craving
• Hummus and Veggie Sticks
• Gluten-Free (and possibly grain-free) Crackers with Cheese

• Garam Masala Cashews
• Chili Lime Almonds
• Paleo Zucchini & Sun-dried Tomato Muffins from Eat Drink Paleo
• good4u Pizza Snack Kebobs
• Heavenly Deviled Eggs
• Homemade Kale Chips (Carol’s Kale Chips or Cheesy Turmeric Kale Chips)
• Very Veggie Smoothie
• Easy Ranch Dressing from Wellness Mama (to accompany your favorite veggie sticks)

There you have it: a simple and delicious trick to save yourself from sweet overload this holiday season.

Do you have a favorite savory snack you’d like to share? We’d love to hear about it; post it in the comments section below.