The Tools of Excellence

Number 5: Trail Mix

Trail mix is the nutritional insurance you carry with you: it has nuts, dried fruit, perhaps some intense dark chocolate or seeds, combined in whatever ratio suits. It’s the nourishment that prevents bad snacking decisions. The beauty is availability. Office vending machine calling? Reach for your trail mix instead. Three o’clock energy crash? A handful of almonds and raisins will quell that siren’s call. Long meeting with no break? It’s fuel that does not require refrigeration, reheating, or explanation. Unlike protein bars with their mysterious ingredient lists, trail mix is transparent: you can see exactly what you’re eating, especially if you are the creator. Unlike crisps or biscuits, it satisfies hunger rather than triggering more cravings. The combination of healthy fats, protein, and natural sugars provides sustained energy, not the spike-and-crash of processed snacks. I enjoy making my own mix: you can adjust the ingredients and volume to suit your nutritional needs. Perhaps nuts for protein, dried apricots for iron and pumpkin seeds for magnesium. Vary it with the seasons: add a dense dark chocolate during the winter months. Portion it into small bags on Sunday, perhaps while doing some meal preparation, and you are all set for the week. Trail mix means you’re never hungry and liable to make poor choices. It’s a good snack that prevents the need for bad snacks. Simple, portable, effective. Excellence you can carry. On a budget.

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