Spring is coming, and that means New Englanders are spending more time outdoors walking, hiking, and biking. No doubt burning off endless calories before the summer season would make anyone starving, and what better bite to pack along than trail mix.

Trail mix is an easy snack to bring anywhere, and the best part is that you can make it your own. Trail mixes are generally made of nuts, berries, granola, fruits, and chocolate. Dietary and health sources like fitday.com note that trail mix is an ideal snack for active people because it is a calorie punch that will fill you up and  won’t take up a lot of space.

While nuts and berries sound healthy on the surface, it is important to be aware of how a trail mix can go wrong. Nuts that are roasted in oil are not as good as nuts that are simply raw or dry roasted. Similarly, some dried fruits contain added sugars. When looking to make your own mix or pick one up at Trader Joe’s, look for packaging that says the dried fruits inside are all natural.

Juniors Teddy Bridgeman and Ann Claude say that the snack is overall a good mix of things; salty and sweet. “The chocolate part is the best, obviously. It’s all about a balance. It’s healthy, but then the chocolate is good,” they said.

What is perhaps most fascinating for high school students is that dark chocolate is actually beneficial to include in your new healthy grub. Doctors on webmd.com say that dark chocolate is loaded with epicatechin, a particularly active member of a group of compounds called plant flavoniods. Flavonoids keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels and reduce the risk of blood clots.

The best part is the convenience. It’s easy to walk into Shaws, pick up a bag of Hershey dark chocolate chips, a bag of almonds and dry roasted peanuts, raisins, and dried cranberries. The ingredients included will keep you full for hours, and the mix will last you through the week.

Spanish teacher Ms. Bird said, “Trail mix gives me the energy I need to get through my day. I pick up a big bag at Walmart and then stick it in my desk so I can have a handful throughout the day. When I make my own, I always use peanuts, almonds, M&M’s, craisins or raisins and sometimes granola.”

However, if you prefer the already made option or simply want more ideas to create your own mix, nuts.com has trail mixes that you can purchase right on line, with the contents included. Between their Berry Mix, Organic Mix, Power Mix, and 35 other variations, there are plenty to choose from.

Trail mix is a timeless snack that never gets old since you can mix it up in so many different ways. If you choose

the right contents, it can be a healthy, low cost snack that will fill you up and keep you moving.