Happy Trails

I hope everyone woke up this morning feeling a bit nutty and ready to celebrate. According to SunRidge Farms, today, Aug. 31, is National Trail Mix Day.

While I eat trail mix every day, I am ready to dig in today and celebrate this occasion. In a press release, SunRidge Farms encouraged everyone to hit the trail, grab their bikes or plan a hike today, while of course, adding trail mix to the mix.  It noted this healthful snack provides a quick carbohydrate-fueled boost paired with sustained energy from the heart-healthy fats found in many nuts included in trail mix.

The company included a few ways one could enjoy the day. It said at work, one could ditch the sweets and grab a nutritional trail mix for an afternoon snack to keep your energy sustained. This is exactly how I enjoy trail mix. Every day at 3 p.m., I get to indulge.

Other options it offered: hitting the trail for a lunchtime walk or jog, armed with an energizing mix; and fueling kids with a fun and natural trail mix rather than candy or chips.

SunRidge Farms also added a few trail mix fun facts:

• Trail mix has been eaten by Native Americans for thousands of years, and originally included buffalo meat.
• Trail mix is featured in Jack Kerouac’s iconic 1958 novel “The Dharma Bums."
• Trail mix is the favorite healthy snack of celebrities, such as Jessica Biel and Blake Lively.
• Captain Robert Falcon Scott munched trail mix to maintain his energy while trekking through the snow in 1901 during his attempt to conquer the Antarctic.
• Trail mix is known as Scroggin in Australia, Studentenfutter in Denmark and Pink Buggie in Canada. Each version contains ingredients as unique as their names suggest.

I agree with SunRidge Farms here; we should be honoring such a great snack, and today is as good as any. I tell you, I am looking forward to 3 p.m. today at little more than usual.