Dancer/Foodie Post, Part Two: Let's Have Snacks

I figured it was time for another one of these, this time on the topic of things I snack on during my dance day.

Seedy things that drive you nuts: A lot of people ask how I get my protein, since I don't eat meat. My new favorite answer to this: seeds. A packet of David's Brand pumpkin seeds has five grams of protein and only ninety calories, and they're yummy. A packet of sunflower seeds (Frito Lay) has about the same calorie/protein ratio as a serving of peanut butter: 190 calories, 7 grams of protein. The upside to keeping seeds around is that I also own a family of small animals, so I use the seeds as a special treat when I'm training them (the downside is that when I open a packet for myself, there are suddenly several pairs of teeny tiny eyes staring at me). Be sure you drink water with these guys, though-- they are quite salty.
Other protein sources you can't go wrong with: Almonds, pistachios, peanut butter on wheat crackers.

Soup: Another new favorite of mine. It's quick and it's easy. Tomato soup is my favorite-- low calories, the least amount of fuss involved. I stick to soups made with a vegtable-based broth and stay away from anything with "Cream of" in the title-- "Cream of"s have lots of calories and fat and they feel like a brick in your stomach.
Depending on how strict you are with your vegetarianism, you can get away with some other types of veggie-based soups. I'm a fairly laid-back vegg, and I have no problem ordering a bowl of chicken noodle soup and fishing out the chicken. Healthy Choice makes a delicious chicken and rice soup, and the chicken comes in big enough chunks that it's super-easy to eat around.

Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!: Have you ever had one of those days where you're definitely not hungry, but you need to get some form of nutrients in your system so you won't pass out? I have. And I'll tell you: In those cases, juices are a good way to go. If you choose your juices wisely, you cn get nutrients, calorie,s and a bunch of vitamins!
Two things to remember when drinking juices: Be careful about how much you drink in one go (a 14-once bottle can have between 200 and 300 calories), and make sure what you're drinking is actually juice; as opposed to a bottle of artificial flavoring and sugar.

On the subject of juices, here's a list of my recommendations:
~ R.W. Knudsen Low Sodium Veggie Juice, OR V8 Low Sodium Vegetable juice: Knudsen's is my favorite, but it's a little hard to find. But since I've got a V8 sitting next to me, I can tell you that an 11-once can has 2 servings of veggies, 70 calories, and 3 grams of protein.
~ Welch's 100% Grape Juice: It has no added sugar (just the naturally-occuring fruit sugar) and a lot of vitamin C to boot.

(I think Welch's also makes 100% Grapefruit juice as well, if you're the kind who likes grapefruit. Which I do not. Can any grapefruit-juice fans weigh in on this? Help?)

~ Orange juice: Tropicana is best: you can choose your preferred level of pulp, they make a version with extra calcium, and they taste excellent.
When all else fails and you need sugar, lots of it, like NOW: Oh, COME ON, we've all had those days, the ones where you have to eat something truly awful to get through the last hour of rehearsal. And as I told you last time, I'm no nutritionist, and I like sour patch kids. In addition to giving me a quick sugar boost, they make me really happy (I only need to pop one or two, and I'm good to go for another several hours! Whee)
Now I'm hungry. See you guys later!

*Image from hesedetang over at flickr-- her pictures are adorable!*