Although the ingredients can vary, most varieties include granola, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Some types also contain popcorn, cereal, candy, or chocolate chips, along with spices and seasonings like sea salt, garlic powder, thyme, cinnamon, and paprika.

More broadly, it is a mix of dried fruit, nuts, seeds and occasionally candies that provide a tasty array of travel-friendly snacks. Trail mix is lightweight, doesn't require cooking or cold-storing and if you get the right combo of ingredients, it's nutritious too.

Like most foods, it depends on the ingredients. Trail mix can be very beneficial and good for you when enjoyed in moderation and if it contains healthier ingredients. A trail mix containing unsalted nuts, dried fruit with no added sugar, seeds, and no added extras like chocolate can be an excellent snack option.

Again, the nuts and fruit you find in trail mix are good for you. And even though many trail mixes have more calories than potato chips, it's more about what's in your calories. Trail mix will fill you up, whereas potato chips tend to leave you wanting more (so salty, so yummy, so hard to eat just one).

Like most foods, it depends on the ingredients. Trail mix can be very beneficial and good for you when enjoyed in moderation and if it contains healthier ingredients. A trail mix containing unsalted nuts, dried fruit with no added sugar, seeds, and no added extras like chocolate can be an excellent snack option.

Why is it called trail mix? Before the name evolved to trail mix, it was known as GORP (good old raisins and peanuts). It was developed as a food to be taken along on hikes or trails because it's easy to carry, nutritious, helpful for energy, lightweight, and easy to store.

Trail mix is a popular snack food for hikes, because it is lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, providing a quick energy boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit or granola, and sustained energy from fat in nuts.

Is It OK to Eat Trail Mix Every Day? Moderation and variety are standard for building a healthy and sustainable way of eating, but if you just can't stay away, from the delicious mix you've selected, be sure to make it part of a balanced day of meals and snacks.

Even though most of it is healthy fat, the calories can still add up. That's why you should eat nuts in moderation. Adults should aim to eat about 4 to 6 servings of unsalted nuts a week as part of a healthy diet. Serving recommendations for kids vary, depending on age.

Another version of trail mix history is that our modern mix originated when two California surfers made an energy mix with peanuts and raisins in 1968. In the past, trail mix has been referred to as “GORP” – which stands for “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts” or “Granola, Oats, Raisins, Peanuts.”

The base of trail mix - nuts and fruit - are two foods that can help you lose weight. Nuts are packed with healthy fats, protein and fiber, three nutrients that help keep you full. Fruit delivers fiber and other key vitamins and minerals. (Try these other top foods for weight loss.)

Some types of trail mix may be high in added sugar and sodium. Trail mix also contains many calorie-dense ingredients, so controlling your portion sizes is important.

Brazil nuts, cashews and macadamia nuts are higher in saturated fat. Too much of this can contribute to raised cholesterol levels, so only eat them occasionally. Chestnuts are an exception – they're lower in all types of fats and higher in starchy carbohydrate than other nuts.

The Top 9 Nuts to Eat for Better Health

• Almonds.
• Pistachios.
• Walnuts.
• Cashews.
• Pecans.
• Macadamia nuts.
• Brazil nuts.
• Hazelnuts.