It’s 5pm and you just left the office. You’re exhausted, hungry, and have a long commute between you and dinner. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. Whether you’re going straight home, to pick up the kids, or to the gym, that evening commute in traffic is the last thing you want after a long day at work. Having a quick snack can be a great way to get that boost of energy needed to get to wherever you’re headed. However, not all snacks are made equally or have the same nutritional benefits. This article will help you find the best nutritious car snacks that will leave you satisfied and your car clean and smell-free.

When looking for the perfect car snacks, we wanted to make sure a few criteria were met:

1. Can easily fit in the cupholder or driver’s side pocket
2. Will not leave the driver with messy hands
3. Easily resealable
4. Will not leave a pungent odor
5. Will stay good for a while (won’t melt or need refrigeration)

While these were our overarching criteria, we also wanted to find healthy snacks that give sustained energy, not just a sugar rush and crash. And of course, local food is always better than heavily processed and shipped from far away.

Three companies stood out in our research as having outstanding healthy and nutritious snacks that would be perfect for the car: Wyldsson and Cracked Nut.

Snack Tubes by Wyldsson:

Wyldsson’s ProMix snack tubes met all of our criteria for being a perfect car snack and they’re produced locally! The tubes fit nicely in cupholders or driver’s side pocket, and will stay good there for awhile. ProMix snack tubes are also especially great for the car since you can eat them like drinking water, just pour them into your mouth directly from the bottle. No need to touch any food and get your hands dirty! The founder of Wyldsson, Dave McGeady, especially recommends ProMix 7 – Strawberry and Raspberry. We also asked him why ProMix snack tubes are great for sustained energy in the car and loved his response!

“ProMix is a great snack because it’s low GI. This means that it doesn’t spike your blood sugar like other snacks can. The problem with blood sugar spikes is that you also get blood sugar crashes, which makes you hungry and irritable – not great for driving! Our ProMixes are high fibre, and contain natural protein from the nuts and seeds which keeps you filled up for longer. This steady source of energy is exactly what you need when you’re driving!”

Raw Energy Balls by Cracked Nut:

Cracked Nut’s Raw Energy Balls also passed our tests for great healthy car snacks with flying colors. As a company, it doesn’t get any more local than Cracked Nut as they are located on Camden Street in Dublin. Raw energy balls come in unique resealable tubes that can be tucked in any small nook in the car and can be opened and resealed easily. In case you don’t have a lot of time to eat in the car, raw energy balls are good for up to 6 months! Co-owner of Cracked Nut, Nikki Carruthers, summed up the health benefits of raw energy balls wonderfully for us:

“Each of the flavours are jammed full of superfoods including Goji Berries, Raw Cacao, Spirulina, Matcha Green Tea, Coconut, Chia Seeds and lots of other healthy ingredients. They are made from the cleanest, purest ingredients, are completely raw and have no added sugars, sweeteners, syrups, chemicals, fillers or additives. They are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, and Paleo friendly.”

Raw energy balls are also great as an energy boost after exercise or during endurance exercise, so grab some when you’re driving home from the gym!

The evening commute slog happens daily, so might as well make it as enjoyable of an experience as possible by keeping your energy levels high and avoiding extra road rage from hunger!