Salty, savory, sweet, crunchy, chewy, and everything in-between, trail mix is one of our favorite snacks. Fall's fast approach gives us all the more reason to head outdoors, embrace nature, and enjoy a delicious blend of nuts, seeds, and fruit.
Whether grabbing a handful to boost your morning or eating it on a hefty hike, this delightful mixture can be a part of a healthy diet. But which tasty recipe is your state eating to stay on track with their fitness goals?
Methodology
Our team turned to Google Trends to find out which trail mix combination is best for a replenishing hiking snack. First, we sourced the most popular trail mix ingredients from websites like Scoutingwire.com, Scoutlife.com, and Greatist.com. We then compared these ingredients across the following criteria: top searched ingredient, favorite salty ingredient, favorite nut, favorite sweet ingredient, and favorite fruit.
From there, we analyzed search volumes from June 2021 to June 2022 for each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to see which ingredients are the most sought-after.
Every State's Ideal Trail Mix Combination
As one of America’s favorite snacks, trail mix makes the perfect fix for cravings. However, some blends are healthier than others, like Montana’s wholesome mixture of pumpkin seeds, cashews, raisins, and peanut butter candies, or Oregon’s fit fusion of hazelnut, pumpkin seeds, dried apples, and white chocolate chips. In each of these, the healthy dose of pumpkin seeds will provide your body with rich minerals like potassium, manganese, and iron, while the dried fruits deliver a dose of antioxidants and fiber.
Idaho’s exciting mix of cashews, pumpkin seeds, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and coconut chips is sure to satisfy your sugary cravings. Depending on how much you eat, espresso beans drenched in chocolate will give you a much-needed jolt of energy, while Wisconsin’s confection of peanut butter cups action, popcorn, peanuts, and dried cranberries offers another sugar-coated option.
It’s true—the best trail mix wouldn’t be trail mix without a healthy combination of nuts and seeds. But many Americans also love a good salty twist. While freshly-popped corn is familiar to us in specific settings like the movie theater or ballparks, it’s also popular in trail mix. In fact, according to our studies, popcorn is a Midwestern trail mix staple, along with Florida and Nebraska, where approximately 45% of the nation’s popcorn is grown.
The Most Interesting Trail Mix Combinations
Hawaii’s most popular mix is packed with island-style flavors, with edamame, macadamia nuts, cocoa nibs, and dried mangos providing a vacation in a bag. Macadamia trees, native to Australia, have become a staple in Hawaiian agriculture and a signature in their trail mix. That mixed with mildly nutty edamame and sweetness of the cocoa nibs and dried mango makes for a perfect contrast.
If spice is your thing, North Carolina’s savory treat provides sweetness with a slight kick. The power-punching mix features dried pineapple, peanuts, marshmallows, and wasabi peas to spice it up. Dried fruit and wasabi peas might sound like an unlucky pair; however, when eaten together, the southern states’ yummy blend is something everyone should try at least once.
Loaded with protein goodness, Wyoming’s grabbing the combo of pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, marshmallows, and dried cranberries on their way out the door. It’s easy to see why this delightful recipe easily becomes a morning staple on and off the trail. Perfect for those with a sweet tooth, the gooey marshmallows and cranberries are sure to curb those sweet cravings, while the pumpkin seeds and brazil nuts provide a crispy crunch that’ll keep your energy levels satisfied.
The Most Popular Trail Mix Ingredient Overall
Which ingredient takes the gold as most popular in the U.S.? Overall, the majority love marrying their favorite trail mix combinations of salty and sweet flavors. Coming in at the top spot is popcorn, with a total of six states searching this item the most. Compared to other snack foods, popcorn provides three times more fiber per one serving. While we enjoy it in a bowl dressed in melted butter, without that the salty snack is a relatively healthy and promising way to feed your munchies.
America is also nuts for peanuts (even though they aren’t actually nuts, they’re a legume), as they take the second spot as the most searched for in four states. Peanuts, valued for their taste and high protein, are one of the top nuts grown in the U.S. The global consumption of peanuts in 2018 was approximately 42.6 million tons, according to Statista. While they’re also arguably the most popular nut when candied, the flavor of the peanut elevates by combining the complementary aspects of sweet and salty.
Take Home Message
Originally called GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts), trail mix meets the needs of everyone, with today’s concoctions including an array of tasty elements, ranging from salty, sweet, nutty, and fruity.
At Myprotein, we’re passionate about health and fitness and being the best versions of ourselves. Whether powerlifting at the gym or trekking through a mountain trail, shop our range of protein foods and snacks and put together your own dream trail mix to fuel your fitness journey.
