Often, creative expressions can take time and tattoos are no different. Therefore, while getting an exquisite tattoo, it is highly likely that you spend 3-8 hours under the needle. It can be a stressful and painful process. Even the best tattoo artists can fail in crafting the right design if you make sudden movements or lose consciousness. Yes, some people do faint during a long session for various reasons i.e. exhaustion, low blood sugar, dehydration, use of blood-thinning or recreational drugs, or a sharp bout of pain. It goes without saying that long tattoo sessions need a lot of preparation and precaution. A well-rested body and healthy diet form critical parts of this preparation, especially the in-session snacks.

Why do you need a good snack?

Most tattoo artists will advise you against bringing eatables during a tattoo session due to the risk of contamination or infection, but all tend to agree that you require necessary fluids, nutrition and power snacks to survive long sessions. Tattoos aren’t painless and long tattoo sessions will subject you to some nail-biting pain along with the psychological and physical exhaustion of remaining immobile for hours. Tattoos are etched onto the skin and they cause some blood loss and stimulate the release of adrenaline and certain endorphins. This may also result in muscle contractions, rapid breathing, or involuntarily movements, posing great risks to you during the entire session. These problems can get aggravated if you are dehydrated and undernourished. A good snack can help you maintain fluid levels, counter certain chemical imbalances in the body, and quicken the healing process of the skin. Nonetheless, you have to restrict your consumption to what you need. Home-made food may be the healthiest food, but snacks serve the purpose of regulating your food intake for a day. In terms of nutrition, snacks consumer before, during and after getting a tattoo are no different, but in terms of the quantity and schedule of consumption, you have to follow a strict low volume and low-frequency regimen during a tattoo session.

What makes a good snack?

A good snack must fulfill any, many or all of the following requirements:

• It should not have any alcohol or dairy. One can slow the healing process, while the other can bloat your skin.
• It should contain little or no caffeine and calm your nerves.
• It must restrict your consumption of sugar and salt to a bare minimum.
• It has to be rich in Vitamins, especially C, A, D and E, along with anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory catalysts, manganese and iron.
• It can have a sufficient amount of good fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
• It can help you hydrate or provide you with ample fluids that make your skin resilient, supple, and easier to ink.
• In terms of ingredients, a good snack includes any low sugar, low salt and low-fat item made from berries, nuts, chocolate, dry fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole-grains, and fish.

Top Snacks for a Long Tattoo Session

Based on the above criteria, you may opt for one of the following snacks for the day, you get your tattoo.

RXBAR, Banana Chocolate Walnut, Protein Bar

Who doesn’t love chocolate? It is a likable snack and the absence of dairy and refined sugar, makes it an interesting choice for your tattoo session. Bananas improve your digestion and make the other ingredients more effective. They are also a good source of manganese and Vitamin C, aiding in the healing and restoration of your skin. Chocolate makes the RXBAR, rich in anti-oxidants and the walnuts and cashews provide the right amount of unsaturated & saturated fats and Vitamin E. This bar also contains a healthy quantity of good quality proteins in the form of egg whites. The RXBAR can serve as a compact power snack that you can eat with minimum movements and risk of contamination.

Larabar Strawberry Spinach Cashew Real Fruit Bars, Vegan

If egg whites deter you from having an RXBAR, the Larabar emerges as the best vegan alternative. Ask any tattoo artist, they will suggest that you consume strawberries for anti-oxidants, spinach for iron, nuts for fats and fruits for healthy sugars. They have basically enumerated the ingredients of the Larabar. The recipe makes spinach consumption easier and the fruits also help digest it quickly. The combination of anti-oxidants and iron improves the health and supply of your blood, making for a quick recovery of your skin.

V8 Healthy Greens

Health bars have to be chewed and tattoos require a motionless body. If chewing makes you move, feel restless or fidgety, you can choose to have a liquid snack that also doubles up as a thirst quencher. Yes, snacks are no longer restricted to edible solid foods. The V8 Healthy Green is a healthy concoction of juices extracted from spinach, kale, celery, romaine, green pepper, yellow carrots, apples, and pineapples. Most of these ingredients are prescribed by tattoo artists and dieticians for regular consumption before and after getting a tattoo. Naturally, it is safe to say that you can have the same foods during a long session. If you can ignore the slimy look and get used to the taste, you can sip this vegan drink while getting a tattoo.

The Better Chip Whole Grain Chips, Spinach & Kale

If your primary concern for a good snack is to have something tasty that keeps you occupied and distracted from the boredom or the pain, you might as well try the Better Chip Whole Grain Chips. In fact, the Spinach and Kale flavor may serve your dietary requirements without compromising on the taste. Unlike snacks coated with flavored dust, these vegan chips are made from a blended mixture of whole grain corn and farm-fresh vegetables, giving you an ample supply of Vitamin K, magnesium, and iron. You can chew these crispy snacks without much effort with a spinach or hummus dip.

PLANTERS Roasted Pecans

This is the most conventional snack in the entire list. It is possible; you have tasted roasted pecans before, especially the highly trusted brand of PLANTERS. A fistful of pecans is a scrumptious source of vitamins, mono-saturated fats, and minerals such as iron, manganese, selenium, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. These pecans prepared in peanut oil and roasted to a perfect crisp, make for a tasty and easily digestible snack.

BariWise Fat-Free Cream of Broccoli

Essentially, this is a soup mix made from Fresh Broccoli, which becomes a creamy beverage upon being dissolved in hot water. You can curb your desires for dairy products and enjoy this thick liquid snack. It is a protein-rich soup that contains all the essential vitamins including A, C, K, B, and E, making for a suitable snack during a long tattoo session.

Bobo’s Oat Bites

If you suffer from allergies or fear them, this can be the least risky power snack. These oat bites have no dairy, no gluten, no wheat, soy, meat, trans-fats, or GMOs. Bobo’s oat bites are made with whole grain oats and they help lower your cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and heal your skin with their anti-oxidants. Moreover, you do not feel the need to binge on snacks or crave for heavy meals.

No Cow Vegan Protein Bars

“No Cow” products do not contain any type of dairy product, meat, or whey. Moreover, they are deemed to be very tasty and their protein bars are still in high demand. Apart from being a high fiber, low sugar, and low carbs snack, these protein bars are created from a proprietary recipe of monk fruit, stevia, brown rice, erythritol, and pea protein. While brown rice prevents blood clots and lowers cholesterol, monk fruit helps reduce or prevent inflammation and the pea protein helps in the healing process. Additionally, the combination of stevia and yeast fermented glucose called erythritol acts as a sugar substitute that does not cause an insulin spike in the body.

Black Forest Fruit Snacks Juicy Bursts, Mixed Fruit

Some tattoo artists prohibit customers from carrying eatables into their studio. Even then, they may agree on letting you have some candies to maintain your blood sugar levels. In such a case, you can carry a few candies in your pocket and the tattoo artists will let you consume them when you feel drowsy or exhausted. Since excessive consumption of refined sugars prevents your skin from healing quickly, it is best if you have vitamin-rich fruit candies. Whether they are gummy worms or gummy bears of the Black Forest Fruit Snacks, you get to enjoy a mouthwatering confectionery, with a chewy exterior and a liquid center. They can be a perfect treat to keep yourself energized and preoccupied.

YumEarth Organic Vitamin C Antioxidant Fruit Drops

If you find most candies to be too sweet, you can try having the YumEarth Fruit Drops. They contain natural fruit extracts that give them a fruitier flavor and also infuse them with the health benefits of the respective fruit. While all the fruit drops carry a sufficient supply of anti-oxidants, the tattoo session needs of your skin can be served best by the berry, blueberry, strawberry, cherry, and pomegranate flavors.

BUMBLE BEE Snack on the Run Tuna Salad with Crackers

Vegan snacks may seem like a safe bet due to higher shelf life and a low presence of allergens, but sometimes, you desire the taste of meat. In such a case, perhaps you can try to eat fish for that one day when you visit the tattoo parlor. As a convenient fish-based power snack, the BUMBLE BEE combination of Tuna Salad with Crackers emerges as a healthy choice. Tuna is the only low-fat non-vegetarian source of iron and selenium that can compete with spinach for its nutritional value. Additionally crackers can aid in quick digestion of a tuna salad because they are low in calories and rich in Vitamin B Complex.

Health Warrior Chia Bars Best Seller Variety Pack

Now, back to the segment of vegan health bars, you can try this low sugar chia bar. Health Warrior bars come in a variety of flavors i.e. Coconut, Vanilla, Banana Nut, Apple Cinnamon, and Acai Berry. Each bar has distinct health benefits. Moreover, the combination of natural fruit extracts with chia makes for a skin and blood friendly snack by giving you ample Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, iron, fiber, and calcium.

Hint Water Discovery Pack, 24 bottles including 17 Different Flavors

The primary dietary requirement for getting a tattoo is to be well hydrated. Solid food snacks tend to dehydrate you and energy drinks contain enough sugar and caffeine to make you anxious. Hence, a healthy beverage becomes crucial and the flavored water drink called Hint fits the bill. It helps improve your metabolism, immunity, and healing abilities and serves as a HEPA compliant alternative to sugary drinks. The company claims the infusion of the freshest fruits, natural flavors, and purified water and the consumer’s vouch for the health benefits

Dot’s Homestyle Pretzel

Agreed, these are the least healthy snacks in the entire list, but strangely they may be healthy enough for you. First, they come in sticks and you can munch on them in small quantities. Second, if you are used to eating junk food, they may just prevent you from craving sugary, salty or oily snacks and the long wait for your next meal may become bearable. Third, if you consume a healthy liquid snack or beverage and you don’t have any fruit candy, these pretzels may be your source for sugar and carbs.

Final Words

You may see these snacks as a guilty pleasure that helps you endure the long session at the tattoo parlor, but they are more than just a one-off past time. In fact, you can incorporate them your daily routine, while your skin recovers from the etching during the next 3-4 weeks after getting the tattoo. Give it a try and add these snacks to a tasty recipe or explore eatables with similar ingredients.