Snacking used to be a healthy way to satisfy our hunger while working hard and burning calories in between meals. There was a real need to snack, but over the last few decades it has become something much different. Snacking now, is for the most part, a way to continue a viscous cycle of overeating.

One of the devastating side-effects of processed foods like soda, chips, cakes, donuts, pretzels, crackers, and countless other snacks, is that they cause and promote overeating behavior. Because they are loaded with fast calories (calories that almost instantly flood your bloodstream with glucose) and have little to no micronutrients, they create an unhealthy reward system in our brain which causes us to eat and eat…and eat.

Once this pattern has been established there is only one way to break it; start eating snacks that are high in micronutrients and low in calories. This retrains our brain and our taste buds to feel satiation from nutrition not from empty calories. This gives our body the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and proteins it so desperately needs.

We have put together a true healthy snack to enjoy this Superbowl weekend. It is loaded with healthy fats, dense micronutrients, incredible flavor, and even immune-boosting power! Break the bad snacking habit this weekend and lose weight while you do it. If Tom Brady can eat healthy so can you!

Superbowl Salsa

2 roma tomatoes, finely diced

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and finely diced

1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and finely diced cucumber

1/4 cup finely diced red pepper

1/4 cup chopped and packed cilantro or parsley leaves

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/2 red jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

2 to 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped pineapple (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a large glass bowl and stir to make sure everything is well coated. Store the salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours for the flavors to infuse.

Flax Crackers

This recipe calls for a dehydrating tool called a Teflex sheet, or dehydrator sheet. These come in handy, but you can substitute silicone sheets.

2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded

1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

4 cups fresh flaxseeds

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup tamari or nama shoyu

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon Mexican spice blend

2 teaspoons sea salt

In a food processor fitted with an S blade, process together the red peppers, jalapeño, and cilantro briefly until they are finely chopped but not pureed. You want to be able to see individual pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the processed vegetables with the flax seeds, chia seeds, tamari or nama shoyu, lime juice, Mexican spices, and salt. Add enough water to make the mixture spreadable, similar to the consistency of a thick pancake batter.

On a Teflex or similar dehydrator sheet, spread the batter with a spatula to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Score the surface in the size of crackers as you prefer.

Dehydrate the batter overnight or until the cracker is firm enough to be flipped over. Remove the dehydrator sheet, and dehydrate the cracker on the other side until it is crispy, about 12 to 24 additional hours. Break or cut the cracker along the scored lines.

Serve with Superbowl Salsa!