High Protein Snack Ideas to Help You Feel Full
If you’re looking for some ideas to help you incorporate more protein into your day, or if you are simply looking for some nutrient dense and filling snack ideas, try some of the following pairings!
Snacking 101
Snacking…how often? what? when? These are some of THE MOST common questions that I get when I first start working with clients.
First, I want to take a moment to reflect on reasons why we might be looking for a snack in the first place. Do snacks help you reach your daily nutrition or performance goals? Are you actually hungry? Stressed? Bored? Procrastinating? While the following points deserve their own future post, here are a couple of simple tips:
- If you find that you are hungry all day, I would revisit your main meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You might want to consider slightly increasing the volume and/or calories there to better manage hunger!
- If you tend to snack out of boredom, stress, or other emotions/feelings…I would think of a few alternatives to food that might bring you comfort.
- If you are more interested in specific recommendations for pre- & post-work snacks…hang tight for the future post!
Purpose behind protein
To keep it simple, protein can help us feel full and is important for maintaining and/or gaining muscle. If you have a body composition goal (goal to lose fat and/or gain muscle), then protein is going to be important for you to pay attention to. While it’s most important to simply reach your daily protein targets, snacks can help you break those targets up and manage hunger in between meals. However…traditional snacks are usually more carbs and fat than protein.
So…how much protein? Great question – that depends! If you are one of my clients or following a macro-based approach to nutrition, then you likely already have some protein targets to reach. Specific recommendations will depend on your personal goals & data.
In my experience, clients tend to struggle the most with reaching their optimal protein goals, so we might start a bit lower and work our way up. If you’re interested in working together to fine-tune your nutrition to reach your body comp goals, apply for coaching here!
10 High protein snack ideas
The following pairings would help you reach 15g+ of protein
- 2 low-fat cheese sticks + edamame
- 1 cup Greek yogurt + berries + granola
- 1 scoop Whey protein + fruit smoothie
- Check your protein for 3rd party testing! I’ve been loving Ascent!
- Greek yogurt fruit dip + sliced apple
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp peanut butter powder, 1 tsp honey, pinch of cinnamon
- 1 oz Beef jerky + 1/4 cup trail mix
- 1 slice of whole wheat toast w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter + 8oz low-fat milk or unsweetened soy milk
- Whole wheat deli sandwich or wrap w/ low-fat cheese
- Greek yogurt ranch & veggies + 2 boiled eggs
- Greek yogurt ranch: 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt + ranch seasoning to taste
- Tuna or chicken salad + crackers
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese w/ handful berries & 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
